Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA

Public Use Microdata Area (PUMA)

2024 Population

148,534

US Senator

Alex Padilla

Democratic Party

US Senator

Adam Schiff

Democratic Party

2024 Poverty Rate

10.6%

11% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$109,895

0.157% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$947,500

1.57% 1-year growth

Population & Diversity

Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA is home to a population of 149k people, from which 87.3% are citizens.

As of 2024, 22.1% of Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA residents were born outside of the country (32.8k people).

In 2024, there were 2.19 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (70.9k people) in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 32.3k Other (Hispanic) and 17.9k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

The most common non-English languages spoken as the primary language in households in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA are Spanish (49,637 households), German (1,356 households), and Chinese (Incl. Mandarin, Cantonese) (775 households).

Population & Diversity

Residents by Gender and Age

RACE/ETHNICITY

73,396

Women

49.4%

75,049

Men

50.6%

The resident population of Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA in 2024 was 148,445 inhabitants, with 50.6% men, and 49.4% women.

The visualization shows the distribution of the residents by gender and age in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA.

With the upper buttons you can add a filter by race.

Citizenship

87.3%

2024 Citizenship

88.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 87.3% of Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA was 88.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA

White (Non-Hispanic)
70.9k ± 1.7k
Other (Hispanic)
32.3k ± 1.91k
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
17.9k ± 1.75k

44.3%

Hispanic Population

65.8k people

44.3% of the people in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA are hispanic (65.8k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

Most Common Origin

Mexico
23,599 ± 3,459 people
Canada
745 ± 668 people
Germany
723 ± 659 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA was Mexico, the natal country of 23,599 Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA residents, followed by Canada with 745 and Germany with 723.

Foreign-Born Population

22.1%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

32.8k people

21.7%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

32.5k people

As of 2024, 22.1% of Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA residents (32.8k 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 County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA was 21.7%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Non-English Households

Most Common Non-English Languages

Spanish
49,637 households (35.2%)
German
1,356 households (0.963%)
Chinese (Incl. Mandarin, Cantonese)
775 households (0.55%)

41% of the households in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language, which is higher than the national average of 22.3%. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

In 2024, the most common non-English language spoken in households in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA was Spanish. 35.2% of the households in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA reported speaking Spanish at home as the primary shared language between all members living in the household.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
2,201 ± 344
Gulf War (2001-)
663 ± 220
Gulf War (1990s)
394 ± 128

Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 3.32 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA.

Health

94.4% of the population of Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA has health coverage, with 46.5% on employee plans, 22% on Medicaid, 13.7% on Medicare, 11.5% on non-group plans, and 0.625% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in California see 1,233 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,233 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1076 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 213 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.5% were men and 49.5% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

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

1,233 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in California

Primary care physicians in California see an average of 1,233 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,233 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in California in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.1% under 18 years, 18.6% between 18 and 34 years, 38.1% between 35 and 64 years, and 19.2% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.5% were men and 49.5% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

5.58%

Uninsured

46.5%

Employer Coverage

22%

Medicaid

13.7%

Medicare

11.5%

Non-Group

0.625%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA declined by 9.22% from 6.15% to 5.58%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Economy

The economy of Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA employs 63.7k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA were Construction (4,627 people), Elementary & secondary schools (4,227 people), and Farming (4,093 people), and the highest paying industries were Software publishers ($424,332), Data processing, hosting & related services ($367,236), and Machinery, equipment, & supplies merchant wholesalers ($254,031).

Males in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA have an average income that is 1.3 times higher than the average income of females, which is $85,643. The income inequality in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA (measured using the Gini index) is 0.505, which is higher than than the national average.

Employment

Workforce Diversity

Measure

RACE/ETHNICITY

29,411

Women

46.1%

34,335

Men

53.9%

The workforce of Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA in 2024 was 63,746 people, with 46.1% woman, and 53.9% men.

The visualization shows the distribution of the workforce by gender and age in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA.

With the upper buttons you can see the distribution of the average salary and add a filter by race.

Occupations

63.7k

2024 Value

−2.98%

1 Year decline

± −2.98%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA declined at a rate of −2.98%, from 65.7k employees to 63.7k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA, are Miscellaneous agricultural workers, including animal breeders (3,273 people), Other managers (1,912 people), and Retail salespersons (1,485 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, 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

63.7k

2024 Value

−2.98%

1 Year decline

± −2.98%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA declined at a rate of −2.98%, from 65.7k employees to 63.7k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA, are Construction (4,627 people), Elementary & secondary schools (4,227 people), and Farming (4,093 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA, though some of these residents may live in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$60,953

Median earning men ± $2,012

$44,056

Median earning women ± $2,855

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($118,533), Information ($110,549), and Manufacturing ($103,224).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($124,482), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($79,565), and Public Administration ($79,454).

Employment by Industry Sector

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

Y-Axis

2.57%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 17.9M people employed in California. This represents a 2.57% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 14%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in California.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in California went to Kamala Harris with 58.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (38.3%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.25%).

Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff are the senators currently representing the state of California. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

California is currently represented by 51 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA. Showing the available data for California.

2024 Election Results

Kamala Harris (58.5%)
Democratic Party
Donald J. Trump (38.3%)
Republican Party
Robert Kennedy (1.25%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in California went to Kamala Harris with 58.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (38.3%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.25%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in California for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from California

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for California.

Alex Padilla

Senator from California

Assumed office on January 20, 2021
Appointed to the seat following the resignation of Kamala Harris, who had become Vice President of the United States.

Adam Schiff

Senator from California

Assumed office on December 8, 2024
Elected to the seat to succeed Laphonza Butler, who had been appointed to the seat following the death of Dianne Feinstein.

Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff are the senators currently representing California.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in California over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

The student population of Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 4,191 male students and 5,408 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA are Hispanic or Latino (1,402 and 53.3%), White (967 and 36.7%), Two or More Races (137 and 5.21%), and Asian (83 and 3.15%).

The largest universities in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA by number of degrees awarded are Cabrillo College (2,551 and 95.8%) and CET-Watsonville (113 and 4.24%).

The most popular majors in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA are Liberal Arts & Sciences (732 and 27.5%), General Health & Physical Education (183 and 6.87%), and General Psychology (99 and 3.72%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 9,599 students enrolled in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA, 43.7% men and 56.3% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 4,861 records, of which 60.2% were women and 39.8% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
732 degrees awarded
General Health & Physical Education
183 degrees awarded
General Psychology
99 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 732 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Cabrillo College
2,551 degrees awarded
CET-Watsonville
113 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Cabrillo College with 2,551 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 1,024 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA, which is 0.624 times less than the 1,640 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was Hispanic or Latino students. These 1,402 degrees mean that there were 1.45 times more degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, White, with 967 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

Public, 2-year ($1,104) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($166) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($2,250) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

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

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Measure

In 2024, 2.1% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 1.84% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population of Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA in 2024 were Some college (27.2k), Bachelors Degree (24.4k), and High School or Equivalent (21.9k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA was $947,500 in 2024, which is 2.85 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $932,900 to $947,500, a 1.57% increase. The homeownership rate in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA is 65.8%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA have an average commute time of 27.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$947,500

Median Property Value 2024

±$16,426

$33,871

Median Property Taxes

±$1,278

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 County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

65.8%

Homeownership

2024

66.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 65.8% of the housing units in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 66.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, 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.

$109,895

Median Household Income

± $4,491

51.5k

Number of Households

± 1,814

In 2024, the median household income of the 51.5k households in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA declined from $109,895 from the previous year's value of $110,068.

The following chart displays the households in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, 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

0.505

2024 Wage GINI in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA

0.508

2023 Wage GINI in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA

In 2024, the income inequality in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA was 0.505 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.576% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA was higher than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed less evenly in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (66.9%)
Worked At Home (17.3%)
Carpooled (9.2%)

In 2024, 66.9% of workers in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (17.3%) and those who carpooled to work (9.2%).

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

27.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA have a longer commute time (27.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.76% of the workforce in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, 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 County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, 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 County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

10.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA (15.6k out of 148k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 55 - 64, followed by Females 45 - 54 and then Females 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA is Hispanic, followed by White and Other.

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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