Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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2022 Population

268,571

1.31% 1-year decline

2022 Median Age

39.2

1.82% 1-year increase

2022 Poverty Rate

11.4%

4.29% 1-year increase

2022 Median Household Income

$104,409

8.65% 1-year growth

2022 Median Property Value

$951,300

15.1% 1-year growth

2022 Employed Population

134,104

1.76% 1-year decline

About

In 2022, Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA had a population of 269k people with a median age of 39.2 and a median household income of $104,409. Between 2021 and 2022 the population of Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA declined from 272,138 to 268,571, a −1.31% decrease and its median household income grew from $96,093 to $104,409, a 8.65% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA are White (Non-Hispanic) (55.7%), Other (Hispanic) (14.8%), White (Hispanic) (10%), Two+ (Hispanic) (8.06%), and Asian (Non-Hispanic) (4.67%).

None of the households in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, 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.

90.5% of the residents in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA are University of California-Santa Cruz (5,301 degrees awarded in 2022), Cabrillo College (2,615 degrees), and Five Branches University (190 degrees).

In 2022, the median property value in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA was $951,300, and the homeownership rate was 60%.

Most people in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 26.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA was 2 cars per household.

Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA borders .

Photo by Ken Lund

United States

Population & Diversity

Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA is home to a population of 269k people, from which 90.5% are citizens. As of 2022, 17.4% of Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA residents were born outside of the country (46.8k people).

In 2022, there were 3.78 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (150k people) in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 39.6k Other (Hispanic) and 26.9k White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

90.5%

2022 Citizenship

89.8%

2021 Citizenship

As of 2022, 90.5% of Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.5%. In 2021, the percentage of US citizens in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA was 89.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA

White (Non-Hispanic)
150k ± 474
Other (Hispanic)
39.6k ± 2.77k
White (Hispanic)
26.9k ± 2.33k

34.2%

Hispanic Population

91.9k people

34.2% of the people in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA are hispanic (91.9k people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA as a share of the total population.

Foreign-Born Population

17.4%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

46.8k people

17.9%

2021 Foreign-Born Population

48.7k people

As of 2022, 17.4% of Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA residents (46.8k people) were born outside of the United States, which is higher than the national average of 13.6%. In 2021, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA was 17.9%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
4,298 ± 433
Gulf War (2001-)
1,119 ± 247
Gulf War (1990s)
904 ± 240

Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 3.84 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA employs 134k people. The largest industries in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA are Educational Services (16,821 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (15,729 people), and Retail Trade (13,874 people), and the highest paying industries are Utilities ($109,102), Information ($96,326), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($91,257).

Employment

Occupations

134k

2022 Value

± 3,052

−1.76%

1 Year decline

± 3.3%

From 2021 to 2022, employment in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA declined at a rate of −1.76%, from 137k employees to 134k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, are Management Occupations (17,676 people), Sales & Related Occupations (12,781 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (11,348 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in the United States (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

134k

2022 Value

± 3,052

−1.76%

1 Year decline

± 3.3%

From 2021 to 2022, employment in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA declined at a rate of −1.76%, from 137k employees to 134k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, are Educational Services (16,821 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (15,729 people), and Retail Trade (13,874 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, though some of these residents may live in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$59,029

Median earning men ± $2,163

$39,813

Median earning women ± $1,933

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2022 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($113,977), Information ($97,083), and Public Administration ($93,784).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2022 are Information ($92,000), Public Administration ($78,194), and Construction ($57,234).

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

3,497
Educational Services, Health Care & Social Assistance
1,710
Professional, Scientific & Management, and Administrative & Waste Management Services
1,316
Finance & Insurance, and Real Estate, Rental & Leasing

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

Civics

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

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming is currently represented by 435 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Senator Elections

US Senators from the United States

Senator from N/AN/A

N/AN/A
N/A
N/AN/A
N/A

are the senators currently representing the United States.

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 the United States over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

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US Representative Elections

US Representatives from Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming have changed over time starting in 2008.

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Education

In 2022, universities in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA awarded 8,184 degrees. The student population of Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA in 2022 is skewed towards women, with 13,953 male students and 15,112 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA are Hispanic or Latino (2,871 and 37.8%), followed by White (2,711 and 35.7%), Asian (1,239 and 16.3%), and Two or More Races (504 and 6.63%).

The largest universities in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA by number of degrees awarded are University of California-Santa Cruz (5,301 and 64.8%), Cabrillo College (2,615 and 32%), and Five Branches University (190 and 2.32%).

The most popular majors in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA are Liberal Arts & Sciences (743 and 9.08%), Computer Science (681 and 8.32%), and General Psychology (528 and 6.45%).

The median tuition cost in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, 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-Watsonville, 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 29,065 (48% men and 52% 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 29,065 students enrolled in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, 48% men and 52% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 10,089 records, of which 51.1% were women and 48.9% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

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

In 2022, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA was Business & Managerial Economics with 287 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

University of California-Santa Cruz
5,301 degrees awarded
Cabrillo College
2,615 degrees awarded
Five Branches University
190 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, 3,802 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, which is 0.868 times less than the 4,382 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2022 the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was Hispanic or Latino students. These 2,871 degrees mean that there were 1.06 times more degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, White, with 2,711 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, 2-year ($2,160) 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 the United States.

Measure

In N/A, N/A% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while N/A% 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 the United States.

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in N/A were N/A.

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-Watsonville, CA was $951,300 in 2022, which is 3.37 times larger than the national average of $281,900. Between 2021 and 2022 the median property value increased from $826,500 to $951,300, a 15.1% increase. The homeownership rate in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA is 60%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 64.8%.

People in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA have an average commute time of 26.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$951,300

Median Property Value 2022

±$18,150

$57,852

Median Property Taxes

±$1,702

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-Watsonville, CA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

60%

Homeownership

2022

67.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2022

In 2022, 60% of the housing units in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 60.5%.

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

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

The following map shows all of the counties in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, 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.

$104,409

Median Household Income

± $3,173

96.5k

Number of Households

± 2,451

In 2022, the median household income of the 96.5k households in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA grew to $104,409 from the previous year's value of $96,093.

The following chart displays the households in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, 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-Watsonville, CA is from Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA.

N/A Wage GINI in N/A

In N/A, the income inequality in N/A was N/A according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a N/A N/A from N/A to N/A, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat N/A even. The GINI for N/A was N/A than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed N/A evenly in N/A in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2022

Drove Alone (64.2%)
Worked At Home (16.3%)
Carpooled (8.84%)

In 2022, 64.2% of workers in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (16.3%) and those who carpooled to work (8.84%).

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

26.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA have a longer commute time (26.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.7 minutes). Additionally, 2.96% of the workforce in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, 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-Watsonville, 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-Watsonville, CA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

11.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA (29.3k out of 257k 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 Females 18 - 24, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Males 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, 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

94.6% of the population of Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA has health coverage, with 48.6% on employee plans, 17.7% on Medicaid, 12.9% on Medicare, 14.9% on non-group plans, and 0.498% on military or VA plans.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2022, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 21.3% under 18 years, 23.8% between 18 and 34 years, 37.2% between 35 and 64 years, and 17.6% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.3% were men and 50.7% were women.

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

Uninsured People

5.42%

Uninsured

48.6%

Employer Coverage

17.7%

Medicaid

12.9%

Medicare

14.9%

Non-Group

0.498%

Military or VA

Between 2021 and 2022, the percent of uninsured citizens in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA declined by 0.475% from 5.45% to 5.42%.

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

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