Santa Ynez ( ; Spanish for "St. Agnes", originally spelled Santa Inés) is an unincorporated community in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County, California, United States.

The population was 4,505 at the 2020 census, up from 4,418 at the 2010 census. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Santa Ynez as a census-designated place (CDP). Santa Ynez is the archaic spelling of Santa Inés in the Spanish, meaning Saint Agnes. The Santa Ynez Airport is general aviation with a paved runway.

Geography

thumb|left|250px|Santa Ynez, CA

Santa Ynez is located at .

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , 99.86% of it land, and 0.14% of it covered by water. Santa Ynez is located about north of Santa Barbara, California, and is known for its world-class wineries.

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above . According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Santa Ynez has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated Csb on climate maps.

Demographics

Santa Ynez first appeared as a census designated place in the 1980 U.S. census

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |Pop 2020

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|-

|White alone (NH)

|3,977

|3,469

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,433

|86.76%

|78.52%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |76.20%

|-

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|8

|9

|style='background: #ffffe6; |33

|0.17%

|0.20%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.73%

|-

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|32

|153

|style='background: #ffffe6; |42

|0.70%

|3.46%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.93%

|-

|Asian alone (NH)

|57

|49

|style='background: #ffffe6; |54

|1.24%

|1.11%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.20%

|-

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|1

|4

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2

|0.02%

|0.09%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.04%

|-

|Other race alone (NH)

|10

|7

|style='background: #ffffe6; |23

|0.22%

|0.16%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.51%

|-

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|77

|88

|style='background: #ffffe6; |187

|1.68%

|1.99%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.15%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|422

|639

|style='background: #ffffe6; |731

|9.21%

|14.46%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |16.23%

|-

|Total

|4,584

|4,418

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4,505

|100.00%

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

|}

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Santa Ynez had a population of 4,505. The population density was . 90.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 9.3% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of Santa Ynez was 80.0% White, 0.7% African American, 1.5% Native American, 1.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 4.6% from other races, and 11.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.2% of the population.

The whole population lived in households, no one lived in non-institutionalized group quarters and no one was institutionalized.

There were 1,741 households, 524 (30.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,052 (60.4%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 137 (7.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 81 (4.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 82 (4.7%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 18 (1.0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 367 households (21.1%) were one person and 186 (10.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.54. There were 1,270 families (72.9% of households); the average family size was 2.91.

The age distribution was 916 people (20.7%) under the age of 18, 280 people (6.3%) aged 18 to 24, 785 people (17.8%) aged 25 to 44, 1,559 people (35.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 878 people (19.9%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 47.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.

There were 1,886 housing units at an average density of , of which 1,327 (76.2%) were owner-occupied, and 414 (23.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 11.3%. 3,434 people (77.7% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 984 people (22.3%) lived in rental housing units.

Income and poverty

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $117,500, and the per capita income was $64,240. About 9.1% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line.

Community

The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians, a federally recognized Chumash tribe is headquartered in Santa Ynez. They operate the local Chumash Casino Resort.

Government

In the California State Legislature, Santa Ynez is in , and in .

Notable people

  • Jan Barrett (1939–1973) – American Football League player
  • Tyler Boyd (born 1994) – soccer player who represented the United States national team
  • John Corbett (born 1961) – actor and country music singer
  • Bob Falkenburg (1926–2022) – tennis player and entrepreneur
  • John Forsythe (1918–2010) – stage and film/television actor, producer, and narrator
  • Ed Fitz Gerald (1924–2020) – Major League Baseball (MLB) player
  • Marty Paich (1925–1995) – pianist, composer, arranger, record producer, music director, and conductor
  • Ralph Story (1920–2006) – television and radio personality

See also

  • Neverland Ranch
  • Lake Cachuma
  • California State Route 154
  • Rancho del Cielo

References

  • Santa Ynez Valley News
  • Santa Ynez Valley Online News and Information