CensusEasy
COUNTY · 2010 ACS

Santa Cruz County

California · 262,382 residents · 445 sq mi
Time machine
COMPARE TO
Part of the Santa Cruz metro area
Compare
The short version

Santa Cruz County is home to 262,382 people in California. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $648,700. 37% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Median rent is $1,266 a month. 57% of homes are owner-occupied. The foreign-born share is 18%.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $52,703
Mid-age
median age 36.9
US median: 37.2
More educated
37% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 28%
Less affordable
home values up 45%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $225,659
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
262,382
+3%since 2000
from 255,602 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
36.9
+5%since 2000
from 35.0 in 2000
US average: 37.2
Land area
445 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
225K239K252K265K278K19902000201020202024Santa Cruz County
2024265K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2010
Under 55.7%(15,045)
US avg: 6.5%
5 to 95.7%(15,071)
US avg: 6.6%
10 to 145.8%(15,347)
US avg: 6.7%
15 to 198.3%(21,834)
US avg: 7.1%
20 to 249.3%(24,391)
US avg: 7%
25 to 3412.9%(33,749)
US avg: 13.3%
35 to 4412.6%(33,075)
US avg: 13.3%
45 to 5414.8%(38,777)
US avg: 14.6%
55 to 6413.7%(35,935)
US avg: 11.8%
65 to 746%(15,874)
US avg: 7%
75 to 843.3%(8,668)
US avg: 4.2%
85 and over1.8%(4,616)
US avg: 1.8%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$65,253
−5%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $53,998 in 2000
US average: $52,703
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$32,862
+24%since 2000
from $26,396 in 2000
US average: $27,286
Households earning $100K+
44.2%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 43.8% in 2009
US average: 33.3%
Poverty rate
12.7%
+0.8 ptssince 2000
from 11.9% in 2000
US average: 13.8%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.467
US average: 0.461
Workforce by industry, 2010
Information10.3%
US avg: 11.5%
Retail trade9.2%
US avg: 10.9%
Wholesale trade7.8%
US avg: 7.2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing5.7%
US avg: 1.9%
Construction5.7%
US avg: 1.4%
Other services4.8%
US avg: 7%
Transportation & warehousing3.2%
US avg: 3.1%
Finance & insurance2.6%
US avg: 5.1%
Public administration2.4%
US avg: 4.9%
Arts, entertainment, food2.3%
US avg: 2.4%
Professional, scientific, technical2%
US avg: 4.2%
Education & health services0.5%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$648,700
+45%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $353,300 in 2000
US average: $225,659
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,266
+8%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $924 in 2000
US average: $853
Owner-occupied
57.5%
−2.5 ptssince 2000
from 60.0% in 2000
42.5% rent
Vacancy rate
9.8%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 9.0% in 2009
US average: 12.1%
Persons per household
2.63 people
+1%since 2009
from 2.61 people in 2009
US average: 2.60
Owner cost-burdened
45.7%
+1.3 ptssince 2009
from 44.4% in 2009
US average: 30.9%
Renter cost-burdened
55.3%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 56.0% in 2009
US average: 46.8%
Afford Score
9.9
−5%since 2009
from 10.5 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic65.5%(167,464)
Black0.8%(2,160)
Hispanic / Latino26.8%(68,486)
Asian3.3%(8,464)
Other0%
2010
White, non-Hispanic59.6%(156,397)
Black0.9%(2,304)
Hispanic / Latino32%(84,092)
Asian4.1%(10,658)
Other3.3%(8,785)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican28.1%(72,279)
Central American0.7%(1,886)
South American0.5%(1,368)
Spaniard0.4%(1,073)
Salvadoran0.4%(1,017)
Peruvian0.3%(752)
Guatemalan0.2%(409)
Puerto Rican0.1%(298)
Cuban0.1%(288)
Colombian0.1%(196)
Nicaraguan0.1%(162)
Costa Rican0.1%(138)
+ 8 more hispanic origin groups with data
Chilean0.1%(131)
Argentine0%(48)
Bolivian0%(37)
Honduran0%(35)
Dominican0%(29)
Ancestry
German14.7%(37,764)
English11.8%(30,202)
Irish11.7%(29,996)
Italian7.2%(18,437)
French3.8%(9,645)
Scottish3.4%(8,767)
Swedish2.5%(6,501)
American2.4%(6,274)
Portuguese2.3%(5,936)
Polish2.1%(5,485)
Russian2%(5,046)
Scotch-Irish1.9%(4,963)
+ 43 more ancestry groups with data
Norwegian1.8%(4,652)
Dutch1.8%(4,612)
Danish1%(2,577)
Welsh1%(2,453)
British0.9%(2,205)
Swiss0.6%(1,663)
French Canadian0.6%(1,517)
Greek0.6%(1,500)
Czech0.5%(1,255)
Hungarian0.5%(1,235)
Austrian0.4%(1,067)
Arab0.4%(932)
Croatian0.3%(895)
Canadian0.3%(817)
Finnish0.3%(755)
Romanian0.2%(577)
Ukrainian0.2%(555)
Iranian0.2%(493)
Armenian0.2%(468)
Lithuanian0.2%(421)
Lebanese0.2%(412)
Brazilian0.1%(380)
Slovak0.1%(327)
Belgian0.1%(317)
Turkish0.1%(245)
Slovene0.1%(218)
Israeli0.1%(198)
Australian0.1%(193)
Latvian0%(114)
Bulgarian0%(104)
Serbian0%(78)
Egyptian0%(74)
Syrian0%(64)
Moroccan0%(37)
Ethiopian0%(26)
Iraqi0%(19)
Nigerian0%(17)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
37.3%
+3.1 ptssince 2000
from 34.2% in 2000
US average: 27.9%
High school or higher
84.1%
+0.9 ptssince 2000
from 83.2% in 2000
US average: 84.9%
Graduate degree
13.9%
+1.5 ptssince 2000
from 12.5% in 2000
US average: 10.2%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
25.7 min
+20%since 2000
from 21.5 min in 2000
US average: 25.2
Drive alone to work
71.1%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 71.3% in 2009
US average: 76.2%
Carpooled to work
11.4%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 11.1% in 2009
US average: 10.4%
Public transit
3.0%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 2.9% in 2009
US average: 4.7%
Worked from home
6.3%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 6.6% in 2009
US average: 4.1%
Walked to work
4.1%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 4.0% in 2009
US average: 2.8%
Biked to work
2.9%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 2.9% in 2009
US average: 0.5%
No vehicle available
5.5%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 5.8% in 2009
US average: 8.7%
Section 07

Work & employment

Self-employed
14.6%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 14.9% in 2009
US average: 12.9%
Management & professional
40.9%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 40.4% in 2009
US average: 35.2%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.9%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 50.1% in 2009
Female
50.1%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 49.9% in 2009
Foreign born
18.4%
+1.2 ptssince 2009
from 17.2% in 2009
US average: 12.8%
Veterans
6.8%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 7.2% in 2009
US average: 9.9%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married42.4%(47,492)
Married47.4%(53,104)
Widowed2%(2,194)
Divorced8.2%(9,127)
Women 15+
Never married37.2%(42,308)
Married44%(50,036)
Widowed6.5%(7,355)
Divorced12.3%(14,045)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured
4.9%
−10.0 ptssince 2013
from 14.9% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
56.6%
+0.9 ptssince 2020
from 55.7% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
15.9%
−3.2 ptssince 2020
from 19.1% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
19.3%
+1.7 ptssince 2020
from 17.6% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
22.0%
+1.1 ptssince 2020
from 20.9% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.5%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 1.6% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
69.9%
−2.0 ptssince 2020
from 71.9% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
38.3%
+2.9 ptssince 2020
from 35.4% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)15%(1,209)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)13.1%(1,050)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era47%(3,777)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War7.8%(630)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.3%(108)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 8,035 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

Places similar to Santa Cruz County

Harford County
Pop 266,446
Washington County
Pop 286,895
Cherokee County
Pop 299,273
Anchorage
Pop 287,155
Places similar to Santa Cruz County
Head to head

Compare Santa Cruz County to nearby counties

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY VS
Santa Clara County
Income$164,281+152%
Home value$1,490,600+130%
Population1,914,391+640%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY VS
San Mateo County
Income$158,855+143%
Home value$1,559,600+140%
Population743,568+187%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY VS
Alameda County
Income$129,367+98%
Home value$1,090,100+68%
Population1,636,630+532%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY VS
San Benito County
Income$114,394+75%
Home value$793,400+22%
Population70,082−73%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Santa Cruz County, California?

Santa Cruz County, California has about 262,382 residents according to the 2010 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Santa Cruz County, California?

The typical household in Santa Cruz County, California earns about $65,253 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Santa Cruz County, California expensive?

In Santa Cruz County, California, the median home is worth about $648,700, and the typical rent is about $1,266 a month.

How educated are people in Santa Cruz County, California?

About 37.3% of adults age 25 and over in Santa Cruz County, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Santa Cruz County, California?

About 12.7% of people in Santa Cruz County, California live below the federal poverty line.

Has Santa Cruz County, California grown since 1990?

Yes, Santa Cruz County, California has grown since 1990. The population has added about 32,648 residents, a change of about 14 percent over that period.

Keep going

Explore from here

DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →