Santa Cruz County, California
Population 264,926 · Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Scotts Valley
- Overall cost of living: +9.9% vs the US average, higher than 99% of US counties.
- Median home price: $1,027,500, higher than 99% of US counties.
- Median rent: $2,264, higher than 99% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈+9.9% | higher than 99% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $1,027,500 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Median rent | $2,264 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $148/mo | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $13,292/yr | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.64% | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 7.25% | the highest in the US |
| State income tax | 9.3% | the highest in the US |
| Property tax paid / yr | $6,538 | higher than 98% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $111,093 | higher than 97% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 6.3% | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | -4.1% | lower than 80% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 298.7 | higher than 61% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈303 days | higher than 99% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 71°F | lower than 99% of US counties |
| January low | 41°F | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 0 in | the lowest in the US |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 6 days | lower than 88% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 6 days | lower than 98% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 19.7% of weeks | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈51.1°F | lower than 87% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 31.7 in | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $397/yr | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $157/yr | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $211/yr | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $0.26/yr | lower than 93% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $14/yr | higher than 87% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 8.6 µg/m³ | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 2.4 mi | lower than 97% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈2,383.6 ft | higher than 86% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 88.6% | lower than 61% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 43.9% | higher than 94% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 18.6% | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 26 | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 21.1:1 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 87.1% | lower than 65% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 7.28 | lower than 69% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 7.69 | lower than 57% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.63 | lower than 87% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 1.7 | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 103/100k | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 11 | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 2.7★ | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 81.6 yrs | higher than 97% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 6.7% | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 977/100k | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 93/100k | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 2.2/100k | higher than 80% of US counties |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 98.2% | higher than 97% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 45 min | lower than 68% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 45 min | lower than 89% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 26 min | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 94.2% | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 1.9% | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 19.3% | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 42 min | lower than 92% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 85 per sq mi | higher than 95% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 4.1 per 1k | higher than 83% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 14.7 per 1k | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Population | 264,926 | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Median age | 39.8 | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -11.7 per 1k/yr | lower than 94% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 75.3% Dem | higher than 99% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 20.9% Rep | lower than 99% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 3.8% | higher than 99% of US counties |
| % White | 53.9% | lower than 83% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 35.2% | higher than 94% of US counties |
| % Black | 0.7% | lower than 71% of US counties |
| % Asian | 4.7% | higher than 93% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0.1% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| % Two or more races | 4.5% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.7% | higher than 84% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 599 parks | higher than 90% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 20.3 | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 5.7 | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 50 min | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.3% | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 43 | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 112 | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 2,107 km | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 31 km | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 359 | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 172 | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 64 | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Museums within 30 mi | 32 | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 22 | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 56 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 84 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 4 | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 13 | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 169 | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 99 km | higher than 85% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data