METRO AREA · 1990 CENSUS
Santa Cruz Metro
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA · 1 counties · 229,734 residents · 445.106 sq mi
Time machine
VIEWING
COMPARE TO
The short version
Santa Cruz is wealthier than most US places, with a median household income of $37,112. Population has declined 10% since 2000. 30% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, well above the national rate of 20%. Median home value is $255,400.
At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $30,130
Mid-age
median age 33.3
US median: 33.0
More educated
30% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 20%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $93,722
Section 01
Population & growth
Population, 1990 – 2024
2024265K
Age distribution, 1990
Under 57.1%(16,334)
5 to 96.9%(15,808)
10 to 146.2%(14,163)
15 to 197%(16,107)
20 to 248.4%(19,358)
25 to 3417.6%(40,412)
35 to 4418.8%(43,195)
45 to 5410%(23,018)
55 to 646.6%(15,249)
65 to 746.2%(14,210)
75 to 843.9%(8,959)
85 and over1.3%(2,921)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$37,112
−9%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $53,998 in 2000
US average: $30,130
1990 – 2024
Section 03
Housing
$255,400
−5%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $353,300 in 2000
US average: $93,722
1990 – 2024
RELATED:See current rent listings in Santa Cruz on RentDataNow
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%
1990
White, non-Hispanic84.1%(193,204)
Black1%(2,289)
Hispanic / Latino19.9%(45,827)
Asian3.8%(8,747)
Other11.1%(25,494)
No data for the years selected.
Section 04 · Origins
Detailed origins & ancestry
Detailed origin tables are available for 2024; showing 2024 data.
Hispanic origin
Mexican30.4%(80,460)
Central American1.4%(3,722)
Salvadoran0.9%(2,353)
South American0.7%(1,812)
Spaniard0.7%(1,739)
Puerto Rican0.5%(1,310)
Peruvian0.2%(620)
Colombian0.2%(599)
Guatemalan0.2%(508)
Cuban0.2%(493)
Panamanian0.1%(280)
Argentine0.1%(240)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Nicaraguan0.1%(229)
Costa Rican0.1%(182)
Dominican0.1%(166)
Chilean0.1%(166)
Ecuadorian0%(120)
Honduran0%(112)
Venezuelan0%(34)
Bolivian0%(26)
Uruguayan0%(7)
Asian origin
Chinese1.3%(3,509)
Filipino0.8%(2,226)
Asian Indian0.8%(2,207)
Japanese0.5%(1,348)
Korean0.3%(892)
Vietnamese0.2%(654)
Taiwanese0.1%(211)
Pakistani0.1%(150)
Thai0%(130)
Cambodian0%(109)
Bangladeshi0%(61)
Nepalese0%(61)
+ 6 more asian origin groups with data
Pacific Islander origin
Native Hawaiian0.2%(406)
Samoan0.1%(251)
Chamorro0.1%(167)
Tongan0%(81)
Guamanian0%(23)
Fijian0%(19)
Ancestry
English11.8%(31,232)
German11.3%(29,839)
Irish10.5%(27,862)
Italian6.1%(16,101)
Scottish2.3%(6,209)
French2.2%(5,791)
American1.9%(4,920)
Polish1.8%(4,774)
Swedish1.6%(4,235)
Norwegian1.5%(3,982)
Portuguese1.4%(3,773)
Dutch1.4%(3,770)
+ 49 more ancestry groups with data
Russian1.3%(3,388)
Scotch-Irish1%(2,594)
Arab0.9%(2,418)
Danish0.9%(2,330)
Welsh0.8%(1,992)
British0.7%(1,932)
Czech0.5%(1,290)
Swiss0.5%(1,193)
Greek0.4%(1,135)
Croatian0.4%(948)
Austrian0.3%(902)
Lithuanian0.3%(902)
Iranian0.3%(864)
Lebanese0.3%(862)
Ukrainian0.3%(796)
French Canadian0.3%(789)
Hungarian0.3%(718)
Canadian0.2%(636)
Subsaharan African0.2%(524)
Finnish0.2%(505)
Syrian0.2%(497)
Armenian0.2%(493)
Romanian0.2%(489)
Turkish0.2%(465)
Brazilian0.2%(434)
West Indian0.1%(366)
Slovak0.1%(335)
Belgian0.1%(306)
Israeli0.1%(293)
Palestinian0.1%(285)
Serbian0.1%(285)
Australian0.1%(206)
Slovene0.1%(161)
Jamaican0.1%(154)
Macedonian0.1%(139)
Moroccan0%(130)
Latvian0%(117)
Bulgarian0%(93)
Iraqi0%(91)
Ethiopian0%(87)
Nigerian0%(73)
Egyptian0%(50)
Haitian0%(35)
Kenyan0%(34)
Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(24)
Barbadian0%(22)
Guyanese0%(16)
Cape Verdean0%(12)
Jordanian0%(2)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
81.9%
−1.4 ptsvs 2000
vs 83.2% in 2000
US average: 75.2%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
No data for the years selected.
Section 08
People & community
No data for the years selected.
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
In this metro
Largest cities
Santa CruzCENTRAL61,797WatsonvilleCENTRAL50,716Live Oak16,911Scotts Valley11,652Soquel10,679Capitola9,340Rio del Mar9,201Interlaken8,068Ben Lomond6,858Aptos6,404Pleasure Point5,489Twin Lakes CDP (Santa Cruz County)5,073Boulder Creek4,632Felton4,093Day Valley3,579Seacliff3,299Freedom3,172Bonny Doon3,149Amesti2,818La Selva Beach2,302Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley2,127Corralitos1,884Brookdale1,378Mount Hermon939Lompico788Pasatiempo610Paradise Park470Davenport403Zayante399Pajaro Dunes143
What's inside
1 component county
Drill deeper
Metros similar to Santa Cruz
Bremerton
Pop 283,374
San Luis Obispo
Pop 282,367
Boulder
Pop 328,560
Barnstable
Pop 233,539
Places similar to Santa CruzHead to head
Compare Santa Cruz side by side
SANTA CRUZ VS
Bremerton
Income$104,158+181%
Home value$555,100+117%
Population283,374+9%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SANTA CRUZ VS
San Luis Obispo
Income$97,446+163%
Home value$824,700+223%
Population282,367+9%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SANTA CRUZ VS
Boulder
Income$103,994+180%
Home value$756,300+196%
Population328,560+27%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SANTA CRUZ VS
Barnstable
Income$95,241+157%
Home value$629,000+146%
Population233,539−10%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked
How many people live in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA has about 229,734 residents according to the 1990 Census.
What is the median household income in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?
The typical household in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA earns about $37,112 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA expensive?
In Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, the median home is worth about $255,400, and the typical rent is about $713 a month.
How educated are people in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?
About 29.7% of adults age 25 and over in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?
About 10.7% of people in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA live below the federal poverty line.
Keep going
Explore from here
DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024