What is the Best Neighborhoods USA ranking for West Downtown?
West Downtown is ranked #28 of 28 eligible neighborhoods in Santa Barbara; #1,575 of 1,814 eligible neighborhoods in CA; and #12,747 of 14,967 eligible neighborhoods in the United States.
Neighborhood Profile
West Downtown
Santa Barbara, CA | Santa Barbara County
Scored premium profile
Best Neighborhoods USA Index
33.5
Stability and Strength
35.2
Value Opportunity
28.4
Momentum
37.8
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 | #12,747 of 14,967 |
| State rank | #1,575 of 1,814 |
| City rank | #28 of 28 |
| County rank | #28 of 28 |
| National percentile | 14.8 |
| National band | LOWER_25_PERCENT |
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Housing and local fundamentals
| Housing and market metrics | Value |
|---|---|
| Current Zillow home value | $1,389,873 |
| Year-over-year home value change | -1.4% |
| Month-over-month home value change | 0.13% |
| Home value to income ratio | 19.03 |
| Median household income | $73,041 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 36.9% |
| Civilian unemployment rate | 6.0% |
| Homeownership rate | 12.8% |
| Housing vacancy rate | 7.9% |
| Rent burden 30% or higher | 64.1% |
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 West Downtown
Is West Downtown one of the best neighborhoods in Santa Barbara?
West Downtown has a Best Neighborhoods USA Index of 33.5 and a city ranking of #28 of 28 eligible neighborhoods in Santa Barbara.
How much are homes worth in West Downtown?
The current Zillow Home Value Index for West Downtown is approximately $1,389,873.
Are home values rising or falling in West Downtown?
Zillow neighborhood values changed -1.4% year over year and 0.13% month over month.
What is the Neighborhood Momentum Score for West Downtown?
West Downtown has a Neighborhood Momentum Score of 37.8. Momentum is 70% year-over-year and 30% month-over-month Zillow housing change.
What is the median household income in West Downtown?
The NDS-derived neighborhood median household income is approximately $73,041.
How affordable is West Downtown relative to household income?
The current Zillow home-value-to-household-income ratio is 19.03. Price-to-income affordability is a major Value Opportunity input.
Is West Downtown primarily homeowners or renters?
The NDS-derived homeownership rate is approximately 12.8%.
What is the unemployment rate in West Downtown?
The NDS-derived civilian unemployment rate is approximately 6.0%.
How educated are residents of West Downtown?
Approximately 36.9% of residents age 25 and older are estimated to have a bachelor's degree or higher.
What share of renters in West Downtown face high rent burden?
Approximately 64.1% 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 West Downtown?
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 applications29
Estimated originations18
Home-purchase applications13
Origination rate61.6%
Home-purchase share44.0%
Average application loan$678,478
Total application loan amount$19,791,907
National application rank#9,352 of 14,874 rankable neighborhoods
Geometry coverage100.0%
Recent trend: Applications 10.7% YoY; originations 36.7% 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.