Grown Where

Santa Barbara County, California · 2022 Census of Agriculture

What does Santa Barbara County, California grow?

Of the crops tracked here, Santa Barbara County's biggest by acreage are broccoli (20,243 acres), grapes (19,782 acres) and lettuce (18,247 acres). Its farms sold $2.6 billion of crops and livestock in 2022, 9th of 56 counties in California.

Among US counties with published figures, it ranks near the top for broccoli (2nd of 599 counties), cauliflower (2nd of 336 counties), raspberries (2nd of 362 counties) and lettuce (3rd of 887 counties).

Farm sales, 2022
$2.6 billion9th of 3,050 US counties
Farms
1,359621,663 acres of farmland
Crops vs. livestock
99% cropsshare of farm sales
Items reported
6643 published, 20 withheld, 3 under half a unit
Value of crops and livestock sold by county, 2022 Census of Agriculture
Under $14M$14M to $56M$56M to $210M$210M to $700M$700M to $2.1B$2.1B+
Withheld to protect individual farms
Santa Barbara County
$2.6 billion
4% of California farm sales. No. 9 of 56 counties with published figures.

Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2022 Census of Agriculture.

What does Santa Barbara County grow the most of?

Crops ranked by acres harvested (bearing acres for orchards), 2022 Census of Agriculture.

  1. 1Broccoli2nd in California20,243 acres
  2. 2Grapes11th in California19,782 acres
  3. 3Lettuce3rd in California18,247 acres
  4. 4Cauliflower2nd in California11,342 acres
  5. 5Avocados3rd in California8,107 acres
  6. 6Carrots3rd in California6,198 acres
  7. 7Celery3rd in California6,150 acres
  8. 8Hay31st in California*4,887 acres
  9. 9Cabbage2nd in California3,079 acres
  10. 10Lemons6th in California*2,827 acres

How does Santa Barbara County rank?

Each item's rank among counties in California and in the US, by the 2022 Census of Agriculture measure shown. An asterisk means the rank is among counties with published figures; a county whose figure is withheld could rank higher.

Santa Barbara County rankings, 2022 Census of Agriculture, top 15 by share of CA
ItemAmountState rankUS rankShare of CAMeasure
Cauliflower11,342 acres22*28%acres harvested
Raspberries1,308 acres1*2*22%bearing acres
Cabbage3,079 acres23*18%acres harvested
Broccoli20,243 acres22*18%acres harvested
Avocados8,107 acres33*18%bearing acres
Celery6,150 acres33*17%acres harvested
Squash793 acres216*13%acres harvested
Carrots6,198 acres33*10%acres harvested
Chile peppers322 acres2*8*10%acres harvested
Kale804 acres44*9%acres harvested
Dry beans655,000 pounds4*150*7%production
Lettuce18,247 acres33*7%acres harvested
Pumpkins310 acres337*6%acres harvested
Green peas193 acres350*6%acres harvested
Lemons2,827 acres6*6*5%bearing acres
Show all 43 items
Santa Barbara County rankings, items 16 to 43
ItemAmountState rankUS rankShare of CAMeasure
Honey1 million pounds928*4%production
Spinach1,775 acres5*7*3%acres harvested
Bell peppers304 acres10*24*3%acres harvested
Grapes19,782 acres1112*2%bearing acres
Goats1,623 goats24*293*1%head on farms
Olives444 acres9*9*1%bearing acres
Hogs635 hogs10*806*under 1%head on farms
Cattle26,489 cattle25997*under 1%head on farms
Tomatoes501 acres17*37*under 1%acres harvested
Sheep862 sheep36*1,054*under 1%head on farms
Hay11,469 tons31*2,015*under 1%production
Pistachios525 acres10*10*under 1%bearing acres
Cucumbers8 acres14*240*under 1%acres harvested
Turkeys2,112 turkeys2*164*under 1%head on farms
Tangerines65 acres12*23*under 1%bearing acres
Cantaloupe18 acres16*103*under 1%acres harvested
Artichokes3 acres7*10*under 1%acres harvested
Sweet corn12 acres17*671*under 1%acres harvested
Onions17 acres12*61*under 1%acres harvested
Eggs3,044 laying hens29*889*under 1%head on farms
Watermelon2 acres20*686*under 1%acres harvested
Honeydew1 acre18*69*under 1%acres harvested
Plums3 acres17*93*under 1%bearing acres
Oranges7 acres15*49*under 1%bearing acres
Garlic1 acre32*425*under 1%acres harvested
Pomegranates1 acre17*32*under 1%bearing acres
Chickens1,100 broiler chickens16*893*under 1%head sold
Walnuts401 acres15*16*bearing acres

Also reported here, but withheld by NASS to protect individual farms: corn, wheat, oats, chickpeas, potatoes, green beans, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, apples, grapefruit, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, sweet cherries, peaches, pears, apricots, almonds, macadamia nuts and milk.

Reported at less than half a unit (for example, under half an acre): collard greens, nectarines and figs.

What livestock does Santa Barbara County raise?

Santa Barbara County livestock and poultry, 2022 Census of Agriculture
AnimalHeadState rankMeasure
Cattle26,48925head on farms
Laying hens3,04429*head on farms
Turkeys2,1122*head on farms
Goats1,62324*head on farms
Broiler chickens1,10016*head sold
Sheep86236*head on farms
Hogs63510*head on farms

Other farm counties in California

Top California counties by farm sales, 2022
CountyFarm sales
Fresno County$7 billion
Tulare County$6.4 billion
Monterey County$5.5 billion
Kern County$5 billion
Merced County$4 billion
Imperial County$3 billion
San Joaquin County$3 billion
Stanislaus County$2.9 billion
Kings County$2.1 billion
Ventura County$2.1 billion
Madera County$2 billion
Riverside County$1.3 billion

What does California grow? State overview and county map →

About this data

Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2022 Census of Agriculture, the only NASS source that covers every county. The Census is taken every five years; the next is for 2027. Values NASS withholds to avoid disclosing individual farms are shown as withheld, never as zero. Data processed 2026-11-06. Methodology.