Santa Cruz, CA

Census Place

2024 Population

61,607

US Senator

Alex Padilla

Democratic Party

US Senator

Adam Schiff

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

31.1

1.3% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

17%

3.3% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$115,475

3.63% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$1.21M

Population & Diversity

Santa Cruz, CA is home to a population of 61.6k people, from which 93.8% are citizens.

As of 2024, 13% of Santa Cruz, CA residents were born outside of the country (8.03k people).

In 2024, there were 6.09 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (36.7k people) in Santa Cruz, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 6.03k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 4.97k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

93.8%

2024 Citizenship

93.2%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 93.8% of Santa Cruz, CA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Santa Cruz, CA was 93.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Santa Cruz, CA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Santa Cruz, CA

White (Non-Hispanic)
36.7k ± 1.4k
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
6.03k ± 550
Other (Hispanic)
4.97k ± 1.09k

22.4%

Hispanic Population

13.8k people

22.4% of the people in Santa Cruz, CA are hispanic (13.8k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Santa Cruz, CA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for California.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
3,877,888 ± 45,899 people
Philippines
827,719 ± 22,100 people
China
695,724 ± 20,296 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of California was Mexico, the natal country of 3,877,888 California residents, followed by Philippines with 827,719 and China with 695,724.

Foreign-Born Population

13%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

8.03k people

12.8%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

7.82k people

As of 2024, 13% of Santa Cruz, CA residents (8.03k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Santa Cruz, CA was 12.8%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Santa Cruz, CA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
589 ± 196
Gulf War (2001-)
240 ± 108
Gulf War (1990s)
197 ± 117

Santa Cruz, CA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.45 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Santa Cruz, CA.

Economy

The economy of Santa Cruz, CA employs 32k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Santa Cruz, CA were Educational Services (6,852 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (3,592 people), and Retail Trade (3,468 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($114,219), Information ($94,754), and Manufacturing ($89,519).

Employment

Occupations

32k

2024 Value

± 1,583

1.13%

1 Year growth

± 6.86%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Santa Cruz, CA grew at a rate of 1.13%, from 31.6k employees to 32k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Santa Cruz, CA, are Management Occupations (4,032 people), Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (3,996 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (2,730 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Santa Cruz, CA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for California.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in California (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

32k

2024 Value

± 1,583

1.13%

1 Year growth

± 6.86%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Santa Cruz, CA grew at a rate of 1.13%, from 31.6k employees to 32k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Santa Cruz, CA, are Educational Services (6,852 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (3,592 people), and Retail Trade (3,468 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Santa Cruz, CA, though some of these residents may live in Santa Cruz, CA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$62,450

Median earning men ± $8,213

$40,062

Median earning women ± $6,173

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($168,125), Information ($96,719), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($96,471).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($94,366), Public Administration ($82,772), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($76,964).

Education

The student population of Santa Cruz, CA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 9,544 male students and 10,394 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Santa Cruz, CA are White (1,833 and 35.2%), Hispanic or Latino (1,451 and 27.9%), Asian (1,255 and 24.1%), and Two or More Races (444 and 8.54%).

The largest universities in Santa Cruz, CA by number of degrees awarded are University of California-Santa Cruz (5,565 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Santa Cruz, CA are Computer Science (719 and 12.9%), General Psychology (524 and 9.42%), and Business & Managerial Economics (306 and 5.5%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $12,260 for in-state students and $44,148 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Santa Cruz, CA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 65.8%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 9.29%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 19,938 (47.9% men and 52.1% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 19,938 students enrolled in Santa Cruz, CA, 47.9% men and 52.1% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 6,133 records, of which 51.9% were women and 48.1% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Computer Science
655 degrees awarded
General Psychology
507 degrees awarded
Business & Managerial Economics
306 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Santa Cruz, CA was Computer Science with 655 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Santa Cruz, CA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

University of California-Santa Cruz

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

5,565 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was University of California-Santa Cruz with 5,565 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 2,777 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Santa Cruz, CA, which is 0.996 times less than the 2,788 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 1,833 degrees mean that there were 1.26 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 1,451 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Public, 4-year or above ($12,260) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($2,775) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,315) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Santa Cruz, CA was $1.21M in 2024, which is 3.63 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $1.18M to $1.21M, a 2.45% increase. The homeownership rate in Santa Cruz, CA is 48.4%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Santa Cruz, CA have an average commute time of 22.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Santa Cruz, CA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$1.21M

Median Property Value 2024

±$34,264

$10,511

Median Property Taxes

±$726

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Santa Cruz, CA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Santa Cruz, CA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

48.4%

Homeownership

2024

64.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 48.4% of the housing units in Santa Cruz, CA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 47.7%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Santa Cruz, CA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$115,475

Median Household Income

± $6,419

21.7k

Number of Households

± 1,212

In 2024, the median household income of the 21.7k households in Santa Cruz, CA grew to $115,475 from the previous year's value of $111,427.

The following chart displays the households in Santa Cruz, CA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $200k+ range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Santa Cruz, CA is from California.

0.493

2024 Wage GINI in California

0.495

2023 Wage GINI in California

In 2024, the income inequality in California was 0.493 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.424% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for California was higher than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed less evenly in California in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in California across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (51.3%)
Worked At Home (22.2%)
Walked (9.04%)

In 2024, 51.3% of workers in Santa Cruz, CA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (22.2%) and those who walked to work (9.04%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

22.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Santa Cruz, CA have a shorter commute time (22.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.11% of the workforce in Santa Cruz, CA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Santa Cruz, CA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Santa Cruz, CA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Santa Cruz, CA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

17% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Santa Cruz, CA (8.88k out of 52.1k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Santa Cruz, CA is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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