Santa Barbara County, California: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Santa Maria, Santa Barbara and Lompoc
Santa Barbara County sits inside the data center build-out. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 4 data centers in Santa Barbara County. Santa Barbara County is home to Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, Lompoc and Goleta. 10 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by RPCA Storage 1, LLC (battery storage). 10 MW of it is already under construction or built. Electrical contractors employ 967, up 29.5% since 2019 against up 8.5% statewide, at an average $80,610 a year. Construction employs 10,202, up 15.1% since 2019.
Cities and towns in Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County is home to Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, Lompoc and Goleta.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Ballard, Casmalia, Cuyama, Eastern Goleta Valley, Garey, Isla Vista, Los Alamos, Los Olivos, Mission Canyon, Mission Hills, Montecito, New Cuyama, Orcutt, Santa Ynez, Sisquoc, Summerland, Toro Canyon, University of California-Santa Barbara, Vandenberg AFB, Vandenberg Village.
Residents are 2025 Census estimates for the part of each city, town or township inside this county. Census publishes no annual estimate for unincorporated communities.
What changed in Santa Barbara County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in California |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 448,325 | 442,065 | ▼ 1.4% | 21st of 58 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 204,441 | 214,947 | ▲ 5.1% | 21st of 58 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $55,818 | $73,064 | ▲ 30.9% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 8,860 | 10,202 | ▲ 15.1% | 14th of 51 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 747 | 967 | ▲ 29.5% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 205 | 344 | ▲ 67.8% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.7% | 4.6% | ▲ 0.9pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 186 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 17 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 10 MW | 3% of today's fleet | 24th of 30 by size |
186 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind. 17 MW has retired here since 2019, including Gaviota Oil Plant (natural gas, 14 MW, 2020). Unemployment was 4.6% in August 2026, against 3.7% in 2019. Employers here counted 214,947 jobs in 2025, up 5.1% from 2019. Its power plants have 363 MW of capacity, 30% of it natural gas. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. is the largest utility serving Santa Barbara County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 39.62¢/kWh in 2024, above the 20.66¢ median for California utilities. 442,065 people live here, down 1.4% since 2020.
Who powers Santa Barbara County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +169 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Santa Barbara County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Gas & Electric Co. | Investor Owned | Bundled | 5,047,461 | 39.62¢ | 30% |
| Southern California Edison Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 4,594,415 | 32.43¢ | 56% |
| Central Coast Community Energy | — | Bundled | 383,835 | — | — |
| City of Lompoc - (CA) | — | — | — | — | — |
Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers.
Operating power plants 13
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 107 MW | 30% |
| Wind | 95 MW | 26% |
| Battery storage | 83 MW | 23% |
| Solar | 70 MW | 19% |
| Other technologies | 8 MW | 2% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strauss Wind Farm | Strauss Wind LLC | Wind | 95 MW | 2023 |
| Goleta Energy Storage, LLC | Goleta Energy Storage, LLC | Battery storage | 60 MW | 2024 |
| Ellwood | Ellwood Power, LLC | Natural gas | 58 MW | 1974 |
| Santa Ynez Facility | Sable Offshore Corp | Natural gas | 49 MW | 1993 |
| Cuyama Solar, LLC | Cuyama Solar, LLC | Solar | 40 MW | 2017 |
| Vandenberg Solar Project | MN8 Energy LLC | Solar | 25 MW | 2017 |
Planned generation 1
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial Parkway Storage | Batteries | 10 MW | Built, not yet operating | 2026 | RPCA Storage 1, LLC |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaviota Oil Plant | Natural gas | 14 MW | 2020 |
| Tajiguas Plant | Other technologies | 3 MW | 2020 |
The Santa Barbara County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 214,947 | $73,064 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 10,202 | $76,480 | 0.90 |
| Electrical contractors | 967 | $80,610 | 0.62 |
| Electric utilities | 134 | $183,459 | 0.23 |
| Data processing and hosting | 344 | $214,289 | 0.51 |
Concentration is the BLS location quotient: 1.0 means the industry holds the same share of local jobs as it does nationally. Industry rows count private employers; cells BLS suppresses are left out.
Data centers and local rules in Santa Barbara County
4 data centers in Santa Barbara County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map: see them by city and operator.
Santa Barbara County and its neighbors
Of the 3 counties that border Santa Barbara County, Kern County carries the most build-out activity: data centers, planned generation and operating plants combined.
| County | Population | Jobs since 2019 | Operating MW | Planned MW | Data centers | Local measures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Barbara County | 442,065 | ▲ 5.1% | 363 MW | 10 MW | 4 | — |
| Kern County | 927,068 | ▲ 4.6% | 18,776 MW | 3,420 MW | 3 | — |
| San Luis Obispo County | 282,367 | ▲ 1.5% | 3,563 MW | 600 MW | 5 | — |
| Ventura County | 830,851 | ▲ 1.5% | 2,039 MW | 135 MW | 2 | — |
More of California
Santa Barbara County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Santa Barbara County, California?
4 utilities have service territory in Santa Barbara County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Pacific Gas & Electric Co., Southern California Edison Co, Central Coast Community Energy, City of Lompoc - (CA). The largest, Pacific Gas & Electric Co., charged residential customers 39.62¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Santa Maria, CA in?
Santa Maria is in Santa Barbara County, California. About 111,390 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Santa Barbara, CA in?
Santa Barbara is in Santa Barbara County, California. About 86,422 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Lompoc, CA in?
Lompoc is in Santa Barbara County, California. About 43,315 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Santa Barbara County?
13 operating plants with 363 MW of capacity. The largest is Strauss Wind Farm (95 MW, wind).
How much new power is planned in Santa Barbara County?
10 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 10 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is RPCA Storage 1, LLC.
Are there data centers in Santa Barbara County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 4 data centers in Santa Barbara County.
Is Santa Barbara County adding jobs?
Employers counted 214,947 jobs in 2025 against 204,441 in 2019 (+5.1%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 8,860 to 10,202.
Does Santa Barbara County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Santa Barbara County. California has 48 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.