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METRO AREA · 2020 ACS

Santa Cruz Metro

Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA · 1 counties · 270,861 residents · 445 sq mi
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The short version

Santa Cruz is a metro area of 270,861 people. The typical home is worth $787,000, having more than doubled since 2000. Renters pay $1,843 a month at the median. About 42% of adults have finished a four-year degree. The median household earns $89,986, about 36% above the national median. The population has held roughly steady 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
Population density
609 / sq mi
+6%since 2000
from 574 / sq mi in 2000
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
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
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

Santa Cruz CountyCENTRAL258,852
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 Cruz
Head to head

Compare Santa Cruz side by side

SANTA CRUZ VS
Bremerton
Income$104,158+16%
Home value$555,100−29%
Population283,374+9%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SANTA CRUZ VS
San Luis Obispo
Income$97,446+8%
Home value$824,700+5%
Population282,367+9%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SANTA CRUZ VS
Boulder
Income$103,994+16%
Home value$756,300−4%
Population328,560+27%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SANTA CRUZ VS
Barnstable
Income$95,241+6%
Home value$629,000−20%
Population233,539−10%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA has about 270,861 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

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

How educated are people in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

About 41.8% 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 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 · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →