Could you live longer if you live in Santa Barbara County? A new study analyzing death data for Santa Barbara County shows that the county’s mortality rate is 8% lower than the state’s.
The report looked at the causes of death in Santa Barbara County from 2018 through 2020. Santa Barbara County averaged around 3200 deaths a year.
The leading causes of death were cancer, heart disease, and accidents. Suicides were ninth on the list, and influenza tenth. In 2020, COVID-19 made the list, as the sixth leading cause of death in Santa Barbara County. It’s expected to be much higher in the next report, which will include 2021.
As far as race and ethnicity, there were significant increases in the death rate among white county residents. At the same time, there were major decreases in the death rates among Hispanic, multi-racial, and Asian/Pacific Islander residents.
