Santa Cruz County, California

30 cities & places have their primary county here.

Population: 266,021
Median household income: $109,266
Median home value: $1,015,200

Home to 266,021 residents, Santa Cruz County is one of California's counties. 30 cities and places have their primary county here. At $109,266, its median household income sits above California's $96,334.

From 2019 to 2023, Santa Cruz County's population declined 2.9% from 273,962 to 266,021, while its median household income rose 32.9% from $82,234 to $109,266.

11.2% of residents live below the poverty line. Households average 2.60 people.

Demographics

ACS 2019–2023

Population: 266,021
Median age: 39.6 yrs
Median household income: $109,266
Median home value: $1,015,200
Median gross rent: $2,172
Housing units: 106,635
Homeownership rate: 60.0%
Bachelor's degree or higher: 43.6%
Unemployment rate: 5.6%

Trends

ACS 5-year · 2019–2023

Population

273,962266,021

Median household income

$82,234$109,266

Median home value

$756,600$1,015,200

Median gross rent

$1,717$2,172

Year	Population	Median household income	Median home value	Median gross rent
2019	273,962	$82,234	$756,600	$1,717
2020	273,170	$89,986	$787,000	$1,843
2021	272,138	$96,093	$826,500	$1,925
2022	268,571	$104,409	$951,300	$2,094
2023	266,021	$109,266	$1,015,200	$2,172

Each year is a US Census Bureau ACS 5-year estimate ending that year.

Age distribution

Under 54.5%

5 to 1714.2%

18 to 2413.7%

25 to 3412.0%

35 to 4412.0%

45 to 5412.2%

55 to 6413.0%

65 to 7411.6%

75 and over6.8%

	Count	Share
Under 5	12,077	4.5%
5 to 17	37,825	14.2%
18 to 24	36,432	13.7%
25 to 34	31,979	12.0%
35 to 44	31,958	12.0%
45 to 54	32,413	12.2%
55 to 64	34,553	13.0%
65 to 74	30,764	11.6%
75 and over	18,020	6.8%

Race & ethnicity

	Count	Share
White (non-Hispanic)	145,237	54.6%
Black or African American	1,990	0.7%
American Indian & Alaska Native	222	0.1%
Asian	12,004	4.5%
Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander	380	0.1%
Some other race	1,903	0.7%
Two or more races	11,169	4.2%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	93,116	35.0%

Educational attainment (age 25+)

No high school diploma11.5%

High school graduate15.2%

Some college or associate's29.7%

Bachelor's degree25.3%

Graduate or professional degree18.3%

	Count	Share
No high school diploma	20,676	11.5%
High school graduate	27,325	15.2%
Some college or associate's	53,418	29.7%
Bachelor's degree	45,391	25.3%
Graduate or professional degree	32,877	18.3%

Commute to work

Mean travel time to work: 27 min

Drove alone63.4%

Carpooled8.5%

Public transit1.9%

Walked4.3%

Bicycle2.1%

Worked from home17.6%

Other means2.3%

How workers get to work

	Count	Share
Drove alone	81,333	63.4%
Carpooled	10,886	8.5%
Public transit	2,440	1.9%
Walked	5,457	4.3%
Bicycle	2,643	2.1%
Worked from home	22,607	17.6%
Other means	2,972	2.3%

Travel time

	Count	Share
Under 15 min	31,491	29.8%
15 to 29 min	35,844	33.9%
30 to 44 min	17,273	16.3%
45 to 59 min	10,058	9.5%
60+ min	11,065	10.5%

Households

Average household size: 2.60
Poverty rate: 11.2% (28,613 of 255,068)

	Count	Share
Family households	61,150	63.1%
Nonfamily households	35,723	36.9%

Housing

Median year structure built: 1973

Occupancy

	Count	Share
Occupied	96,873	90.8%
Vacant	9,762	9.2%

Tenure (of occupied units)

	Count	Share
Owner-occupied	58,102	60.0%
Renter-occupied	38,771	40.0%

1-unit, detached63.8%

1-unit, attached8.4%

2 to 4 units8.2%

5 to 19 units6.4%

20 or more units6.4%

Mobile home & other6.8%

Units in structure

	Count	Share
1-unit, detached	68,056	63.8%
1-unit, attached	8,935	8.4%
2 to 4 units	8,733	8.2%
5 to 19 units	6,841	6.4%
20 or more units	6,836	6.4%
Mobile home & other	7,234	6.8%

Geography

County GEOID: 06087
State: California
Land area: 445 sq mi
Water area: 162 sq mi
Center point: 37.0123, -122.0078