United States › Santa Cruz METRO AREA · 2000 CENSUS
Santa Cruz Metro Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA · 1 counties · 255,602 residents · 445 sq mi
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The short version
With 255,602 people, Santa Cruz is a metro area. The typical home is worth $353,300. About 34% of adults have finished a four-year degree. Median rent is $924 a month. Owners hold 60% of the housing stock. The median household earns $53,998, about 27% above the national median.
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 574 / sq mi
+11%since 1990
from 516 / sq mi in 1990
from 33.3 in 1990
US average: 35.2
Population, 1990 – 2024
225K 239K 252K 265K 278K 1990 2000 2010 2020 2024 Santa Cruz Age distribution, 2000
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Section 02
Income & economy $53,998
+10%inflation adjusted, since 1990
from $37,112 in 1990
US average: $42,589
from $17,347 in 1990
US average: $21,522
from 10.7% in 1990
US average: 12.4%
$353,300
+5%inflation adjusted, since 1990
from $255,400 in 1990
US average: $120,530
$924
−2%inflation adjusted, since 1990
from $713 in 1990
US average: $602
from 59.9% in 1990
40.0% rent
Section 04
Race & ethnicity 1990
White, non-Hispanic 84.1%(193,204)
Hispanic / Latino 19.9%(45,827)
2000
White, non-Hispanic 65.5%(167,464)
Hispanic / Latino 26.8%(68,486)
No data for the years selected.
Section 04 · Origins
Detailed origins & ancestry Detailed origin tables are available for 2024; showing 2024 data.
Hispanic origin
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data Asian origin
+ 6 more asian origin groups with data Ancestry
+ 49 more ancestry groups with data from 29.7% in 1990
US average: 24.4%
High school or higher
from 81.9% in 1990
US average: 80.3%
from 10.4% in 1990
US average: 8.8%
Section 06
Commute & transportation from 25.1 min in 1990
US average: 17.6
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 married 37.2%(37,821)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2000
Section 09
Health coverage Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).
from 14.9% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
from 55.7% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
from 19.1% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
from 17.6% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
from 20.9% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
from 1.6% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
from 71.9% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
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)
Gulf War (1990s) 13.1%(1,050)
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.
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In this metro
Largest cities Santa CruzCENTRAL 61,797 WatsonvilleCENTRAL 50,716 Live Oak 16,911 Scotts Valley 11,652 Soquel 10,679 Capitola 9,340 Rio del Mar 9,201 Interlaken 8,068 Ben Lomond 6,858 Aptos 6,404 Pleasure Point 5,489 Twin Lakes CDP (Santa Cruz County) 5,073 Boulder Creek 4,632 Felton 4,093 Day Valley 3,579 Seacliff 3,299 Freedom 3,172 Bonny Doon 3,149 Amesti 2,818 La Selva Beach 2,302 Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley 2,127 Corralitos 1,884 Brookdale 1,378 Mount Hermon 939 Lompico 788 Pasatiempo 610 Paradise Park 470 Davenport 403 Zayante 399 Pajaro Dunes 143 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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