City safety & data profile

Scotts ValleyCA

Scotts Valley, CA is a 12K-resident city in Santa Cruz County with a median household income of $143,750.

Santa Cruz County, California. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Scotts Valley, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Scotts Valley has a population larger than 12% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, and a median home value of $1,105,700.

Data updated 2026-07-19

12K
Population
Top 88%
By size
$143,750
Median income
$1,105,700
Median home
5.9%
Poverty rate

The read on Scotts Valley

Scotts Valley posts a median household income higher than 91% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks.

Top 9%
by median income, US cities

Where Scotts Valley income ranks nationally

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

$143,750 Top 9% higher than 91% 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%). Below this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). Below this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). This entry sits in this band. $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 Scotts Valley, CA beyond the headline numbers

Scotts Valley sits inside Santa Cruz County, California, at roughly 37.05°N, -122.01°W. Population 11,945, $143,750 median household income. Median home value $1,105,700, median rent $2,491. Poverty rate 5.9%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Scotts Valley's highest-prevalence health measure is high blood pressure at 31%, then short sleep duration at 30.6%.

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

Population
11,945
Scotts Valley
Median Income
$143,750
+111% vs avg
Median Home Value
$1,105,700
+386% vs avg
Median Age
47.3
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Santa Cruz County) - Scotts Valley'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 Scotts Valley, CA
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$2,491/mo
Poverty Rate
5.9% -58% vs avg
Unemployment 2.9%
Bachelor's Degree+ 55.6%
Work From Home 26.1%
Public Transit 1.4%

Population

White 73.7%
African American 0.6%
Asian 8.2%
Two or More Ethnicities 0.2%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

High Blood Pressure
31%
Short Sleep Duration
30.6%
Obesity
23.9%
Binge Drinking
17.5%
Physical Inactivity
16.3%
Frequent Mental Distress
14.9%
Frequent Physical Distress
11.6%
Current Asthma
9.9%
Diabetes
9.1%
Current Smoking
8.6%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 72.7%
Annual Checkup 74.1%

Other Measures

Coronary Heart Disease
5.6%
Lack of Health Insurance
4.4%
Stroke
2.9%

Frequently Asked Questions 5

What is the population of Scotts Valley, CA? ▼
Scotts Valley, CA has a population of 11,945 people, located in Santa Cruz County, California.
What is the median household income in Scotts Valley? ▼
The median household income in Scotts Valley, CA is $143,750 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 5.9%.
What is the median home value in Scotts Valley? ▼
The median home value in Scotts Valley, CA is $1,105,700. Median rent is $2,491/month.
What are the top health concerns in Scotts Valley? ▼
The top health indicators in Scotts Valley include High Blood Pressure (31%), Short Sleep Duration (30.6%), Obesity (23.9%). Data from CDC PLACES.
What is the median age in Scotts Valley? ▼
The median age in Scotts Valley, CA is 47.3 years. 55.6% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Scotts Valley, CA is located in Santa Cruz County, California. With a population of 12K and a $143,750 median household income, the community faces health challenges including high blood pressure and short sleep duration. Safety alerts for the Scotts Valley 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 Capitola, CA 10K Los Gatos, CA 31K Saratoga, CA 31K Campbell, CA 41K Cupertino, CA 61K Communications Hill, CA 11K
All cities in California → Compare Scotts Valley vs Live Oak → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Scotts Valley'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 Scotts Valley 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 Scotts Valley 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.