Goleta is a medium-sized coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of California. With a population of 32,665 people and 13 associated neighborhoods, Goleta is the 240th largest community in California.

Housing costs in Goleta 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.

Also of interest is that Goleta has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

A relatively large number of people in Goleta telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 17.89% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Goleta, while not large, also appears to be attractive to some younger, educated professionals, who help shape the character of the city.

Goleta is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.

Goleta is one of the most well-educated cities in the nation. 48.27% of adults in Goleta have at least a bachelor's degree. Compare that to the average community in America, which has just 21.84% with a bachelor's degree or higher.

The per capita income in Goleta in 2022 was $52,610, which is upper middle income relative to California, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $210,440 for a family of four. However, Goleta contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Goleta is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Goleta home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Goleta residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Goleta also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 36.70% of the city’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Goleta include English, German, Irish, Italian, and European.

In addition, Goleta has a lot of people living here who were born outside of the US (22.55%).

The most common language spoken in Goleta is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Chinese.