Santa Cruz, CA

Census Place

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2023 Population

60,953

0.675% 1-year decline

US Senator

Alex Padilla

Democratic Party

US Senator

Adam Schiff

Democratic Party

2023 Median Age

30.7

4.07% 1-year increase

2023 Poverty Rate

17.6%

5.62% 1-year decrease

2023 Median Household Income

$111,427

5.63% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$1.18M

5.73% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

31,615

0.463% 1-year decline

About

In 2023, Santa Cruz, CA had a population of 61k people with a median age of 30.7 and a median household income of $111,427. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Santa Cruz, CA declined from 61,367 to 60,953, a −0.675% decrease and its median household income grew from $105,491 to $111,427, a 5.63% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Santa Cruz, CA are White (Non-Hispanic) (59.7%), Asian (Non-Hispanic) (9.54%), Other (Hispanic) (7.39%), Two+ (Hispanic) (7.18%), and White (Hispanic) (6.1%).

None of the households in Santa Cruz, CA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. 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.

93.2% of the residents in Santa Cruz, CA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Santa Cruz, CA are University of California-Santa Cruz (5,301 degrees awarded in 2022).

In 2023, the median property value in Santa Cruz, CA was $1.18M, and the homeownership rate was 47.7%.

Most people in Santa Cruz, CA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 22.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Santa Cruz, CA was 2 cars per household.

About the photo: Coastline

Photo by fogcat5

United States California Santa Cruz County, CA Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA

Population & Diversity

Santa Cruz, CA is home to a population of 61k people, from which 93.2% are citizens. As of 2023, 12.8% of Santa Cruz, CA residents were born outside of the country (7.82k people).

In 2023, there were 6.26 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (36.4k people) in Santa Cruz, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 5.82k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 4.5k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

93.2%

2023 Citizenship

93%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 93.2% of Santa Cruz, CA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Santa Cruz, CA was 93%, 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)
36.4k ± 1.19k
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
5.82k ± 506
Other (Hispanic)
4.5k ± 686

22.4%

Hispanic Population

13.7k people

22.4% of the people in Santa Cruz, CA are hispanic (13.7k people).

The following chart shows the 7 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
3,899,021 ± 46,015 people
Philippines
824,230 ± 22,055 people
China
685,370 ± 20,148 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of California was Mexico, the natal country of 3,899,021 California residents, followed by Philippines with 824,230 and China with 685,370.

Foreign-Born Population

12.8%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

7.82k people

12.5%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

7.66k people

As of 2023, 12.8% of Santa Cruz, CA residents (7.82k people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Santa Cruz, CA was 12.5%, 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
568 ± 167
Gulf War (2001-)
332 ± 136
Gulf War (1990s)
139 ± 96

Santa Cruz, CA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.71 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Santa Cruz, CA employs 31.6k people. The largest industries in Santa Cruz, CA are Educational Services (6,963 people), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (3,639 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (3,331 people), and the highest paying industries are Utilities ($110,156), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($94,847), and Information ($91,924).

Males in California have an average income that is 1.26 times higher than the average income of females, which is $75,777. The income inequality in California (measured using the Gini index) is 0.498, which is higher than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

31.6k

2023 Value

± 1,538

−0.463%

1 Year decline

± 7.04%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Santa Cruz, CA declined at a rate of −0.463%, from 31.8k employees to 31.6k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Santa Cruz, CA, are Management Occupations (3,848 people), Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (3,728 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (2,984 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 false.

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.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

31.6k

2023 Value

± 1,538

−0.463%

1 Year decline

± 7.04%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Santa Cruz, CA declined at a rate of −0.463%, from 31.8k employees to 31.6k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Santa Cruz, CA, are Educational Services (6,963 people), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (3,639 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (3,331 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

$64,092

Median earning men ± $9,067

$38,518

Median earning women ± $5,238

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($121,410), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($108,205), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($97,232).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Information ($91,532), Wholesale Trade ($91,250), and Public Administration ($81,705).

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 52 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, 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.

US Representative Elections

US Representatives from California

California is currently represented by 52 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for California have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

In 2022, universities in Santa Cruz, CA awarded 5,301 degrees. The student population of Santa Cruz, CA in 2022 is skewed towards men, with 9,821 male students and 9,657 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Santa Cruz, CA are White (1,668 and 35.1%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (1,381 and 29%), Asian (1,105 and 23.2%), and Two or More Races (365 and 7.68%).

The largest universities in Santa Cruz, CA by number of degrees awarded are University of California-Santa Cruz (5,301 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Santa Cruz, CA are Computer Science (657 and 12.4%), General Psychology (446 and 8.41%), and Business & Managerial Economics (287 and 5.41%).

The median tuition cost in Santa Cruz, CA for a public four year colleges is $11,564 for in-state students and $41,636 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2022 in Santa Cruz, CA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 46.9%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 12.5%. The number of students enrolled in 2022 was 19,478 (50.4% men and 49.6% 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 2022 there were 19,478 students enrolled in Santa Cruz, CA, 50.4% men and 49.6% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 6,288 records, of which 49.3% were women and 50.7% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Computer Science
607 degrees awarded
General Psychology
431 degrees awarded
Business & Managerial Economics
287 degrees awarded

In 2022, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Santa Cruz, CA was Computer Science with 607 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

5,301 degrees awarded

In 2022, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was University of California-Santa Cruz with 5,301 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2022, 2,744 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Santa Cruz, CA, which is 1.07 times more than the 2,557 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2022 the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 1,668 degrees mean that there were 1.21 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 1,381 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 ($11,564) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2022.

Public, 4-year or above ($2,676) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2022.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,180) 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

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

Measure

In 2022, 2.08% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 2.26% of women were in the same situation.

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

Educational Attainment

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

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were Some college (6.9M), High School or Equivalent (6.8M), and Bachelors Degree (6.36M).

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, CA was $1.18M in 2023, which is 3.89 times larger than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $1.12M to $1.18M, a 5.73% increase. The homeownership rate in Santa Cruz, CA is 47.7%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Santa Cruz, CA have an average commute time of 22.7 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.

Median household income in Santa Cruz, CA is $111,427. In 2023, the place with the highest median household income in Santa Cruz, CA was Census Tract 1212 with a value of $171,471, followed by Census Tract 1202 and Census Tract 1011, with respective values of $154,914 and $135,729.

Housing

Property

$1.18M

Median Property Value 2023

±$25,583

$10,338

Median Property Taxes

±$700

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

47.7%

Homeownership

2023

65.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 47.7% of the housing units in Santa Cruz, CA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 47%.

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

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

Census Tract 1212
Census Tract 1202
Census Tract 1011

In 2023, the place with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Santa Cruz, CA was Census Tract 1212 with a value of $171,471, followed by Census Tract 1202 and Census Tract 1011, with respective values of $154,914 and $135,729.

The following map shows all of the places in Santa Cruz, CA colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

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

$111,427

Median Household Income

± $6,728

21.7k

Number of Households

± 1,207

In 2023, the median household income of the 21.7k households in Santa Cruz, CA grew to $111,427 from the previous year's value of $105,491.

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.

0.498

2022 Wage GINI in California

0.497

2021 Wage GINI in California

In 2022, the income inequality in California was 0.498 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.107% growth from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for California was higher than than the national average of 0.478. 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 2023

Drove Alone (53%)
Worked At Home (19.3%)
Walked (9.85%)

In 2023, 53% of workers in Santa Cruz, CA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (19.3%) and those who walked to work (9.85%).

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

22.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Santa Cruz, CA have a shorter commute time (22.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 2.04% 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

17.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Santa Cruz, CA (9.11k out of 51.7k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.4%. 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 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
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

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

Health

96.3% of the population of Santa Cruz, CA has health coverage, with 54.6% on employee plans, 12.7% on Medicaid, 10.3% on Medicare, 18.2% on non-group plans, and 0.532% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Santa Cruz County, CA see 961 patients per year on average, which represents a 0.826% decrease from the previous year (969 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1169 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 109 patients per year.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the country level. Showing data for Santa Cruz County, CA.

961 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Santa Cruz County, CA

Primary care physicians in Santa Cruz County, CA see an average of 961 patients per year. This represents a 0.826% decrease from the previous year (969 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 17.5% under 18 years, 37.9% between 18 and 34 years, 30.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 13.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.6% were men and 51.4% were women.

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

Uninsured People

3.73%

Uninsured

54.6%

Employer Coverage

12.7%

Medicaid

10.3%

Medicare

18.2%

Non-Group

0.532%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Santa Cruz, CA declined by 2.64% from 3.83% to 3.73%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Santa Cruz, CA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Keep Exploring

California

State

Santa Cruz County, CA

County

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MSA

United States

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