City safety & data profile

CapitolaCA

Capitola, CA is a 10K-resident city in Santa Cruz County with a median household income of $102,976.

Santa Cruz County, California. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Capitola, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Capitola has a population larger than 1% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, and a median home value of $783,000.

Data updated 2026-07-20

10K
Population
Top 99%
By size
$102,976
Median income
$783,000
Median home
12.9%
Poverty rate

The read on Capitola

Capitola posts a median household income higher than 71% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks.

Top 29%
by median income, US cities

Where Capitola income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$102,976 Top 29% higher than 71% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). Below this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). This entry sits in this band. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). Above this entry. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. CA $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading Capitola, CA beyond the headline numbers

Capitola sits inside Santa Cruz County, California, at roughly 36.98°N, -121.95°W. Population 10,189, $102,976 median household income. Median home value $783,000, median rent $2,512. Poverty rate 12.9%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Capitola's highest-prevalence health measure is high blood pressure at 33.4%, then short sleep duration at 32%.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for Capitola from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
10,189
Capitola
Median Income
$102,976
+51% vs avg
Median Home Value
$783,000
+244% vs avg
Median Age
47.6
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Santa Cruz County) - Capitola's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
265K+0%
Median Income
$111,093+67%
Median Home Value
$1,027,500+84%
Poverty Rate
11.6%-21%
Unemployment
6.1%-34%

Economics

Economics indicators for Capitola, CA
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$2,512/mo
Poverty Rate
12.9% -9% vs avg
Unemployment 2.7%
Bachelor's Degree+ 47.9%
Work From Home 28.2%
Public Transit 1.1%

Population

White 69.6%
African American 1.2%
Asian 4.2%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

High Blood Pressure
33.4%
Short Sleep Duration
32%
Obesity
26.4%
Physical Inactivity
20.2%
Binge Drinking
16.4%
Frequent Mental Distress
16.2%
Frequent Physical Distress
13.5%
Diabetes
10.8%
Current Smoking
10.5%
Current Asthma
10.3%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 67.3%
Annual Checkup 73.7%

Other Measures

Lack of Health Insurance
7%
Coronary Heart Disease
6.5%
Stroke
3.4%

Frequently Asked Questions 5

What is the population of Capitola, CA? ▼
Capitola, CA has a population of 10,189 people, located in Santa Cruz County, California.
What is the median household income in Capitola? ▼
The median household income in Capitola, CA is $102,976 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 12.9%.
What is the median home value in Capitola? ▼
The median home value in Capitola, CA is $783,000. Median rent is $2,512/month.
What are the top health concerns in Capitola? ▼
The top health indicators in Capitola include High Blood Pressure (33.4%), Short Sleep Duration (32%), Obesity (26.4%). Data from CDC PLACES.
What is the median age in Capitola? ▼
The median age in Capitola, CA is 47.6 years. 47.9% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Capitola, CA is located in Santa Cruz County, California. With a population of 10K and a $102,976 median household income, the community faces health challenges including high blood pressure and short sleep duration. Safety alerts for the Capitola area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - California

Real-time AQI for every monitored California location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

Live Oak, CA 17K Santa Cruz, CA 64K Scotts Valley, CA 12K Watsonville, CA 54K Los Gatos, CA 31K Saratoga, CA 31K Campbell, CA 41K Marina, CA 21K
All cities in California → Compare Capitola vs Live Oak → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Capitola's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Capitola area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare Capitola against California peers on any ranking lens. Explore California

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Santa Cruz County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.