Santa Maria is a larger medium-sized city located in the state of California. With a population of 110,125 people and 30 associated neighborhoods, Santa Maria is the 62nd largest community in California.

Housing costs in Santa Maria are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in California.

The percentage of adults in Santa Maria with college degrees is slightly lower than the national average of 21.84% for all communities. 14.52% of adults in Santa Maria have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree.

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.

Foreign born people are also an important part of Santa Maria's cultural character, accounting for 33.12% of the city’s population.

The most common language spoken in Santa Maria is Spanish. Other important languages spoken here include English and Tagalog.