Santa Cruz County, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Santa Cruz County, CA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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A
Health Above averageHealthier than 86% of counties in California
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 79% of counties in California
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B
Education Around averageBetter educated than 84% of counties in California
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Santa Cruz County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 264,809 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 436.4 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.13% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.7 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 96,757 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Santa Cruz County declined by 1.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 264,809 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Santa Cruz County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 25.5% of residents. That is 3.8 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 67,468 25.5% +3.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 51,814 19.6% -4.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 54,619 20.6% +0.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 45,233 17.1% +1.8 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below California, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.3% of the people living in Santa Cruz County and men 49.7%.
- Women 50.3% California 49.9%
- Men 49.7% California 50.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Santa Cruz County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Santa Cruz County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Santa Cruz County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $111,078 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.00% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.1% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Santa Cruz County is about 12% higher than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Santa Cruz County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $1,111,762 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $2,264 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 59.9% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Santa Cruz County is about 40.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $2,264 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Santa Cruz County spend about 42 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 175 hours, about 7.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Santa Cruz County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 21.0 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 42.0 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 175 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,424 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 19.3% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 18,609 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,357 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
California:
Inyo County (11.1 min), Mono County (12.0 min), Del Norte County (12.1 min).
Slowest:
Alpine County (31.3 min), San Benito County (31.2 min), Contra Costa County (31.0 min).
The average commute time in Santa Cruz County is 21 minutes, shorter than the 23 minutes in California.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Santa Cruz County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Santa Cruz County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 37.1% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.57 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
California:
Marin County (0.5), San Francisco County (0.4), Santa Clara County (0.4).
Lowest:
Colusa County (0.2), Merced County (0.2), Glenn County (0.2).
Health
Santa Cruz County has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | Santa Cruz County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 81.4 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.7% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 11.5% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
California:
San Francisco County (0.8), San Mateo County (0.8), Santa Clara County (0.8).
Lowest:
Lake County (0.8), Imperial County (0.8), Tulare County (0.8).
Santa Cruz County, CA Compared With Nearby Counties
Santa Cruz County, CA is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 264,809 residents against a local median of 1,163,035. The measure that sets Santa Cruz County, CA apart most is commute: 21.0 min, 26% below the local median of 28.3 min. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $111,078 against a local median of $140,554, 21% below it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: commute runs ahead of the neighbourhood while median household income runs behind it, so Santa Cruz County, CA is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread 8.1 min on commute, so Santa Cruz County, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Santa Cruz County, CA has the lowest commute of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz County, CA | 264,809 | $111,078 #6/6 | $1,111,762 #4/6 | 21.0 min #1/6 |
| Santa Clara County, CA | 1,901,257 | $165,940 | $1,378,776 | 22.9 min |
| San Mateo County, CA | 733,246 | $159,405 | $1,744,985 | 23.2 min |
| Alameda County, CA | 1,648,382 | $129,593 | $833,751 | 28.3 min |
| Contra Costa County, CA | 1,163,035 | $127,405 | $663,272 | 31.0 min |
| San Francisco County, CA | 829,818 | $140,554 | $1,276,188 | 28.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Santa Cruz County, California.
How many people live in Santa Cruz County, California?
About 264,809 people live in Santa Cruz County, California, in 96,757 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 38.7, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
How densely populated is Santa Cruz County, California?
Averaged over its land area, Santa Cruz County, California has 436 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 5.0 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Santa Cruz County, California?
The median home costs 10.0 times the median household income ($1,111,762 against $111,078), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $2,264 a month takes about 24% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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