Santa Barbara County, CA jobs, unemployment and layoffs
Santa Barbara County economy
4.6%
unemployment, Aug 2026
4.8% the month before
224,010
in the labor force
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
443,975
people in Santa Barbara County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
$95,977
median household income
Source: Census ACS
40%
of workers in white-collar occupations
Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS
Santa Barbara County layoffs
3
WARN layoff notices, last 12 months
39
workers named
A floor: states may leave out counts
2
employers
| Notice date | Employer | City or county | Workers | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yerba Mate Co., LLC - Santa BarbaraTakes effect Sep 1, 2026 | Santa Barbara County | 1 | Layoff Permanent | State record | |
| Yerba Mate Co., LLC - Santa MariaTakes effect Sep 1, 2026 | Santa Barbara County | 1 | Layoff Permanent | State record | |
| Red Lobster Restaurants LLCTakes effect Aug 31, 2026 | Santa Barbara County | 37 | Closure Permanent | State record |
Employers hiring most in Santa Barbara County
Employers with the most open professional roles in this county’s cities. The county is taken from each job’s city, so roles with no city are not counted.
- RTX35 open roles
- AppFolio18 open roles
- Raytheon17 open roles
- Deckers Outdoor14 open roles
- Excel Personnel Services9 open roles
- Hilton Worldwide Holdings6 open roles
- Avantor5 open roles
- Arthrex4 open roles
- Heico4 open roles
- Lockheed Martin3 open roles
Largest employers headquartered in Santa Barbara County
Employee counts with a year are published figures (Wikidata). Other sizes are estimates from our company directory, not payroll counts.
Colleges in Santa Barbara County
| College | City | Type | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of California-Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara | Public 4-year | 20,000+ |
| Westmont College | Santa Barbara | Private nonprofit 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
| Antioch University-Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara | Private nonprofit 4-year | Under 1,000 |
| Fielding Graduate University | Santa Barbara | Private nonprofit 4-year | Under 1,000 |
| The Colleges of Law at Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara | Private nonprofit 4-year | Under 1,000 |
Conferences in Santa Barbara County
Industry conferences and trade shows held in Santa Barbara County. 3 with dates announced.
- HealthLeaders CNO Exchange
Mar 10 to Mar 12, 2027 · Santa Barbara, CA
By invitation only. Sponsor-supported, no attendee fee.
- HealthLeaders CEO Exchange
Jun 23 to Jun 25, 2027 · Santa Barbara, CA
By invitation only. Sponsor-supported, no attendee fee.
- MMA CMO + CEO Summit
Jul 18 to Jul 20, 2027 · Santa Barbara, CA
Apply to attend. Price not published.
- Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit
Usually October (next dates not announced) · Santa Barbara, CA
By invitation only. Invitation-only; membership application on Fortune's site. 2026 edition was Oct 12-14.
Workforce development and job centers
The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Santa Barbara County. They offer free help with job search, training and filing for benefits.
- Santa Barbara County Workforce Development Board
Santa Barbara
American Job Center of California- Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara · Affiliate · 805-568-1296
Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
America`s Job Center of California Workforce Resource Center
Santa Maria · Comprehensive · 805-614-1550
Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Cities in Santa Barbara County
- Santa Barbara117 jobs
- Goleta92 jobs
- Santa Maria25 jobs
- Carpinteria10 jobs
- Lompoc9 jobs
- Mission Hills7 jobs
- Santa Ynez5 jobs
- Vandenberg AFB4 jobs
- Montecito3 jobs
Other California counties
Laid off or looking for work in Santa Barbara County?
See what to do first and the jobs open near you.
See your options after a layoffSources: Census Bureau and BLS (county unemployment is not seasonally adjusted); WARN notices from California’s published record; job counts from our live job board; IPEDS for colleges; CareerOneStop for workforce boards and job centers.