What is the Best Neighborhoods USA ranking for East Mesa?
East Mesa is ranked #15 of 28 eligible neighborhoods in Santa Barbara; #794 of 1,814 eligible neighborhoods in CA; and #6,955 of 14,967 eligible neighborhoods in the United States.
Neighborhood Profile
East Mesa
Santa Barbara, CA | Santa Barbara County
Scored premium profile
Best Neighborhoods USA Index
51.9
Stability and Strength
53.3
Value Opportunity
35.9
Momentum
72.0
Score note: Rankings show denominators so users always see the size of the eligible cohort.
| Context | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | Santa Barbara, CA |
| County | Santa Barbara County |
| National rank | #6,955 of 14,967 |
| State rank | #794 of 1,814 |
| City rank | #15 of 28 |
| County rank | #15 of 28 |
| National percentile | 53.5 |
| National band | MIDDLE_50_PERCENT |
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Housing and local fundamentals
| Housing and market metrics | Value |
|---|---|
| Current Zillow home value | $2,809,776 |
| Year-over-year home value change | 4.0% |
| Month-over-month home value change | 0.06% |
| Home value to income ratio | 24.88 |
| Median household income | $112,915 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 56.7% |
| Civilian unemployment rate | 6.8% |
| Homeownership rate | 60.2% |
| Housing vacancy rate | 10.0% |
| Rent burden 30% or higher | 63.8% |
How to read this profile
- Ranks are always shown with denominators.
- Momentum reflects both year-over-year and month-over-month housing change.
- Stability and Strength and Value Opportunity are governed composite scores.
- Identity composition is descriptive intelligence and is not a scoring component.
Questions and Answers
Questions About Living in East Mesa
Is East Mesa one of the best neighborhoods in Santa Barbara?
East Mesa has a Best Neighborhoods USA Index of 51.9 and a city ranking of #15 of 28 eligible neighborhoods in Santa Barbara.
How much are homes worth in East Mesa?
The current Zillow Home Value Index for East Mesa is approximately $2,809,776.
Are home values rising or falling in East Mesa?
Zillow neighborhood values changed 4.0% year over year and 0.06% month over month.
What is the Neighborhood Momentum Score for East Mesa?
East Mesa has a Neighborhood Momentum Score of 72.0. Momentum is 70% year-over-year and 30% month-over-month Zillow housing change.
What is the median household income in East Mesa?
The NDS-derived neighborhood median household income is approximately $112,915.
How affordable is East Mesa relative to household income?
The current Zillow home-value-to-household-income ratio is 24.88. Price-to-income affordability is a major Value Opportunity input.
Is East Mesa primarily homeowners or renters?
The NDS-derived homeownership rate is approximately 60.2%.
What is the unemployment rate in East Mesa?
The NDS-derived civilian unemployment rate is approximately 6.8%.
How educated are residents of East Mesa?
Approximately 56.7% of residents age 25 and older are estimated to have a bachelor's degree or higher.
What share of renters in East Mesa face high rent burden?
Approximately 63.8% of the applicable renter-household universe is estimated to spend 30% or more of household income on gross rent.
How does Best Neighborhoods USA score East Mesa?
The overall index combines 40% Stability and Strength, 35% Value Opportunity, and 25% Momentum. Race, ethnicity, and identity composition are not scoring components.
Governed ranking context
How this neighborhood ranks
HMDA Mortgage Intelligence
Neighborhood Mortgage Market
Modeled neighborhood-level mortgage activity allocated from governed HMDA tract data using Zillow neighborhood geometry. These neighborhood values are nonadditive and do not enter the Best Neighborhoods USA Index.
Activity year2024
Estimated applications58
Estimated originations35
Home-purchase applications15
Origination rate61.6%
Home-purchase share26.3%
Average application loan$962,324
Total application loan amount$55,404,889
National application rank#6,679 of 14,874 rankable neighborhoods
Geometry coverage98.1%
Recent trend: Applications 20.3% YoY; originations 30.0% YoY
Mortgage methodology
HMDA is natively reported at tract and other lender-reporting geographies, not Zillow neighborhood or ZIP geography. This module uses the certified NDS HMDA-to-Zillow tract-vintage crosswalk and area-weighted allocation. Rankings require governed geometry coverage. Applicant demographics are excluded. Neighborhood values may overlap and must not be summed to reconstruct ZIP or national totals.