METRO AREA · 2000 CENSUS
Santa Cruz Metro
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA · 1 counties · 255,602 residents · 445.106 sq mi
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The short version
Santa Cruz is wealthier than most US places, with a median household income of $53,998. Population has held roughly steady since 1990. 34% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, well above the national rate of 24%. Median home value is $353,300.
At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $42,589
Mid-age
median age 35.0
US median: 35.2
More educated
34% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 24%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $120,530
Section 01
Population & growth
Population, 1990 – 2024
2024265K
Age distribution, 2000
Under 56.1%(15,544)
5 to 96.7%(17,077)
10 to 146.9%(17,630)
15 to 197.8%(19,939)
20 to 248.2%(20,948)
25 to 3414.4%(36,728)
35 to 4416.5%(42,087)
45 to 5415.9%(40,673)
55 to 647.6%(19,489)
65 to 744.8%(12,347)
75 to 843.6%(9,295)
85 and over1.5%(3,845)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$53,998
+10%inflation adjusted, since 1990
from $37,112 in 1990
US average: $42,589
1990 – 2024
Section 03
Housing
$353,300
+5%inflation adjusted, since 1990
from $255,400 in 1990
US average: $120,530
1990 – 2024
RELATED:See current rent listings in Santa Cruz on RentDataNow
Section 04
Race & ethnicity
1990
White, non-Hispanic84.1%(193,204)
Black1%(2,289)
Hispanic / Latino19.9%(45,827)
Asian3.8%(8,747)
2000
White, non-Hispanic65.5%(167,464)
Black0.8%(2,160)
Hispanic / Latino26.8%(68,486)
Asian3.3%(8,464)
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
83.2%
+1.4 ptssince 1990
from 81.9% in 1990
US average: 80.3%
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
Men 15+
Never married37.2%(37,821)
Married51.6%(52,464)
Widowed1.7%(1,747)
Divorced9.5%(9,681)
Women 15+
Never married29%(30,111)
Married49.5%(51,303)
Widowed8.4%(8,742)
Divorced13%(13,515)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2000
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
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Frequently asked
How many people live in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA has about 255,602 residents according to the 2000 Census.
What is the median household income in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?
The typical household in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA earns about $53,998 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 $353,300, and the typical rent is about $924 a month.
How educated are people in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?
About 34.2% 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 11.9% of people in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA live below the federal poverty line.
Has Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA grown since 1990?
Yes, Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA has grown since 1990. The population has added about 25,868 residents, a change of about 11 percent over that period.
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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024