In terms of college education, the citizens of Santa Maria rank slightly lower than the national average. 14.52% of adults 25 and older in Santa Maria have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree, while 21.84% of adults have a 4-year degree or higher in the average American community.
The per capita income in Santa Maria in 2022 was $25,685, which is lower middle income relative to California and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $102,740 for a family of four. However, Santa Maria contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
Santa Maria is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Santa Maria home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. People of Hispanic or Latino origin are the most prevalent group in Santa Maria, accounting for 77.75% of the city’s residents (people of Hispanic or Latino origin can be of any race). The greatest number of Santa Maria residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Santa Maria include German, English, Irish, French, and Italian.
Santa Maria also has a high percentage of its population that was born in another country: 33.12%.
The most common language spoken in Santa Maria is Spanish. Other important languages spoken here include English and Tagalog.
