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COUNTY · 2020 ACS

Santa Cruz County

California · 270,861 residents · 445 sq mi
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With 270,861 people, Santa Cruz County is a county in California. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $787,000. Median rent is $1,843 a month. 42% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Households take in $89,986 a year at the median, 36% more than the country as a whole. Headcount has barely moved since 2000.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $66,278
Mid-age
median age 40.2
US median: 38.8
More educated
42% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Less affordable
home values up 48%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
270,861
+6%since 2000
from 255,602 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
40.2
+15%since 2000
from 35.0 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
445 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
225K239K252K265K278K19902000201020202024Santa Cruz County
2024265K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 54.4%(11,939)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95%(13,678)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 145.8%(15,776)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 197.4%(20,104)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 248.1%(22,024)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3412.5%(33,850)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4412.5%(33,928)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5412.3%(33,451)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6413.6%(36,918)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 7411.7%(31,792)
US avg: 10%
75 to 844.7%(12,596)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over1.8%(4,805)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$89,986
+11%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $53,998 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$44,278
+68%since 2000
from $26,396 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
58.6%
+14.8 ptssince 2009
from 43.8% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
11.9%
Unchangedsince 2000
from 11.9% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Information10.6%
US avg: 11.1%
Retail trade8.6%
US avg: 10%
Wholesale trade6.6%
US avg: 6.7%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing4.8%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction4.8%
US avg: 1.2%
Other services4.4%
US avg: 6.6%
Finance & insurance3.8%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical3%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing2.5%
US avg: 2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food2.3%
US avg: 2%
Public administration2.2%
US avg: 4.7%
Education & health services0.8%
US avg: 0.8%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$787,000
+48%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $353,300 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,843
+33%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $924 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
58.2%
−1.8 ptssince 2000
from 60.0% in 2000
41.8% rent
Persons per household
2.70 people
+3%since 2009
from 2.61 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
8.7
−17%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%
2020
White, non-Hispanic53.7%(145,551)
Black1.1%(2,850)
Hispanic / Latino34.8%(94,299)
Asian4.5%(12,072)
Other3.8%(10,244)
Segregation Score
47
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican29.8%(81,536)
Central American1.1%(3,033)
Salvadoran0.6%(1,661)
South American0.6%(1,637)
Spaniard0.6%(1,529)
Puerto Rican0.3%(862)
Guatemalan0.2%(628)
Argentine0.2%(424)
Peruvian0.1%(371)
Cuban0.1%(325)
Colombian0.1%(318)
Nicaraguan0.1%(296)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Honduran0.1%(205)
Venezuelan0.1%(152)
Ecuadorian0.1%(149)
Panamanian0%(128)
Chilean0%(125)
Dominican0%(98)
Uruguayan0%(76)
Bolivian0%(11)
Asian origin
Chinese1.5%(4,003)
Filipino1%(2,625)
Japanese0.7%(1,840)
Asian Indian0.5%(1,502)
Korean0.3%(883)
Vietnamese0.3%(696)
Taiwanese0.1%(314)
Thai0.1%(252)
Nepalese0%(127)
Cambodian0%(76)
Pakistani0%(62)
Laotian0%(60)
+ 6 more asian origin groups with data
Hmong0%(49)
Burmese0%(35)
Malaysian0%(27)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0.1%(238)
Chamorro0%(124)
Tongan0%(4)
Ancestry
German10.5%(28,688)
Irish10.3%(28,267)
English9.5%(25,993)
Italian5.8%(15,944)
American2.7%(7,252)
Scottish2.5%(6,894)
French2.3%(6,222)
Swedish2%(5,442)
Norwegian1.9%(5,201)
Polish1.9%(5,125)
Portuguese1.8%(4,951)
British1.3%(3,674)
+ 47 more ancestry groups with data
Dutch1.2%(3,253)
Russian1.1%(3,030)
Scotch-Irish1.1%(2,979)
Welsh0.7%(1,993)
Danish0.7%(1,822)
French Canadian0.5%(1,438)
Czech0.5%(1,369)
Swiss0.5%(1,316)
Greek0.4%(1,150)
Hungarian0.4%(1,115)
Austrian0.4%(1,000)
Iranian0.3%(900)
Croatian0.3%(841)
Finnish0.2%(664)
Ukrainian0.2%(512)
Brazilian0.2%(502)
Armenian0.2%(480)
Romanian0.2%(425)
Lithuanian0.1%(397)
Canadian0.1%(395)
West Indian0.1%(394)
Lebanese0.1%(382)
Turkish0.1%(309)
Slovak0.1%(305)
Belgian0.1%(293)
Serbian0.1%(230)
Latvian0.1%(159)
Palestinian0.1%(153)
Australian0.1%(143)
Arab0%(134)
Israeli0%(128)
Syrian0%(127)
Jamaican0%(110)
Ethiopian0%(99)
Bulgarian0%(94)
Egyptian0%(86)
Slovene0%(78)
Nigerian0%(51)
Barbadian0%(41)
Moroccan0%(38)
Kenyan0%(18)
Iraqi0%(14)
Ghanaian0%(12)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
41.8%
+7.6 ptssince 2000
from 34.2% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
88.3%
+5.1 ptssince 2000
from 83.2% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
17.4%
+5.0 ptssince 2000
from 12.5% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
27.5 min
+28%since 2000
from 21.5 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
68.1%
−3.3 ptssince 2009
from 71.3% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
5.2%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 5.8% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
6.1%
−2.3 ptssince 2011
from 8.4% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
64.3%
−1.8 ptssince 2011
from 66.1% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
74.5%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
44.2%
+3.9 ptssince 2009
from 40.4% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.5%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 50.1% in 2009
Female
50.5%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 49.9% in 2009
Foreign born
17.5%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 17.2% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
5.2%
−9.7 ptssince 2013
from 14.9% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
94.3%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
85.1%
US average: 86.2%
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

Uninsured
5.2%
−9.7 ptssince 2013
from 14.9% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
55.7%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
19.1%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
17.6%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
20.9%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
1.6%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
71.9%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
35.4%
US average: 35.2%

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, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)10.6%(1,100)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)13.2%(1,376)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era46.1%(4,794)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War8.7%(907)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II3.7%(381)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 10,391 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

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Head to head

Compare Santa Cruz County to nearby counties

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY VS
Santa Clara County
Income$164,281+83%
Home value$1,490,600+89%
Population1,914,391+640%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY VS
San Mateo County
Income$158,855+77%
Home value$1,559,600+98%
Population743,568+187%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY VS
Alameda County
Income$129,367+44%
Home value$1,090,100+39%
Population1,636,630+532%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY VS
San Benito County
Income$114,394+27%
Home value$793,400+1%
Population70,082−73%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Santa Cruz County, California?

Santa Cruz County, California has about 270,861 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Santa Cruz County, California earns about $89,986 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 $787,000, and the typical rent is about $1,843 a month.

How educated are people in Santa Cruz County, California?

About 41.8% 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 11.9% 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 41,127 residents, a change of about 18 percent over that period.

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

How we source and harmonize this data →