City safety & data profile

Santa CruzCA

Santa Cruz, CA is a 64K-resident city in Santa Cruz County with a median household income of $115,475.

Santa Cruz County, California. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Santa Cruz, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Santa Cruz has a population larger than 85% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, a median home value of $1,209,000, and 3 hospitals serving the surrounding area.

Data updated 2026-07-20

64K
Population
Top 15%
By size
$115,475
Median income
$1,209,000
Median home
17%
Poverty rate

The read on Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz posts a median household income higher than 80% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks, where 3 hospitals serve the Santa Cruz area.

Top 20%
by median income, US cities
3
hospitals in & near Santa Cruz

Where Santa Cruz income ranks nationally

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

$115,475 Top 20% higher than 80% 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 Santa Cruz, CA beyond the headline numbers

Santa Cruz sits inside Santa Cruz County, California, at roughly 36.97°N, -122.03°W. Population 64,220, $115,475 median household income. Median home value $1,209,000, median rent $2,452. Poverty rate 17%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Santa Cruz's highest-prevalence health measure is short sleep duration at 32.7%, then high blood pressure at 26%. 3 hospitals in/around Santa Cruz, 4/5 avg rating, 1 with an ER.

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

Population
64,220
Santa Cruz
Median Income
$115,475
+70% vs avg
Median Home Value
$1,209,000
+431% vs avg
Median Age
31.1
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Santa Cruz County) - Santa Cruz'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 Santa Cruz, CA
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$2,452/mo
Poverty Rate
17% +20% vs avg
Unemployment 7.2%
Bachelor's Degree+ 57.6%
Work From Home 22.2%
Public Transit 4.7%

Population

White 63.5%
African American 1.8%
Asian 10.2%
Two or More Ethnicities 2.1%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

Short Sleep Duration
32.7%
High Blood Pressure
26%
Obesity
24.5%
Binge Drinking
18.8%
Frequent Mental Distress
18.3%
Physical Inactivity
18.3%
Frequent Physical Distress
11.6%
Current Asthma
10.1%
Current Smoking
9.2%
Diabetes
8%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 65%
Annual Checkup 69.1%

Other Measures

Lack of Health Insurance
7.3%
Coronary Heart Disease
4.6%
Stroke
2.4%

Hospitals 3 total

Rating Distribution
★★★★★
0
★★★★
1
★★★
0
★★
0
★
0
Average Rating
4/5
Total Hospitals
3
With ER
1
DOMINICAN HOSPITAL
SANTA CRUZ · Acute Care Hospitals · ER
★★★★☆

Frequently Asked Questions 6

What is the population of Santa Cruz, CA? ▼
Santa Cruz, CA has a population of 64,220 people, located in Santa Cruz County, California.
What is the median household income in Santa Cruz? ▼
The median household income in Santa Cruz, CA is $115,475 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 17%.
What is the median home value in Santa Cruz? ▼
The median home value in Santa Cruz, CA is $1,209,000. Median rent is $2,452/month.
What are the top health concerns in Santa Cruz? ▼
The top health indicators in Santa Cruz include Short Sleep Duration (32.7%), High Blood Pressure (26%), Obesity (24.5%). Data from CDC PLACES.
How many hospitals are in Santa Cruz? ▼
Santa Cruz has 3 hospitals with an average rating of 4/5 stars. 1 have emergency departments.
What is the median age in Santa Cruz? ▼
The median age in Santa Cruz, CA is 31.1 years. 57.6% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Santa Cruz, CA is located in Santa Cruz County, California. With a population of 64K and a $115,475 median household income, the community faces health challenges including short sleep duration and high blood pressure. Residents have access to 3 hospitals with an average rating of 4/5 stars. Safety alerts for the Santa Cruz 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 Capitola, CA 10K Scotts Valley, CA 12K Los Gatos, CA 31K Watsonville, CA 54K Saratoga, CA 31K Campbell, CA 41K Cupertino, CA 61K
All cities in California → Compare Santa Cruz vs Live Oak → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Santa Cruz'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 Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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.