Santa Cruz County, California

CA · FIPS 06087 · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates

Key Statistics

Total Population
264,926
Rank #273 of 3,222
92th %ile
Median Household Income
$111,093 +47.8% vs nat'l
Rank #91 of 3,222
97th %ile
Poverty Rate
11.6% −7.8% vs nat'l
Rank #1,168 of 3,222
64th %ile
Median Home Value
$1.0M +264.5% vs nat'l
Rank #13 of 3,222
100th %ile
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
43.9% +30.4% vs nat'l
Rank #187 of 3,222
94th %ile
Unemployment Rate
6.1% +15.4% vs nat'l
Rank #2,572 of 3,222
20th %ile

At a Glance

59.9% Homeownership
95.1% Insured
43.9% Bachelor's+

Age & Sex Distribution

MaleFemale
0-910-1920-2930-3940-4950-5960-6970-7980+10%5%0%5%10%

Race & Ethnicity

White (non-Hispanic)Hispanic or LatinoAsian (non-Hispanic)Two or More RacesBlack (non-Hispanic)Other (non-Hispanic)Native Hawaiian/Pacific IslanderAmerican Indian (non-Hispanic)0.0%7.5%15.1%22.6%30.2%37.7%45.3%52.8%53.9%35.2%4.7%4.5%0.7%0.7%0.1%0.1%

About Santa Cruz County, California

Santa Cruz County, California has a total population of 264,926, making it the 273rd most populous county in the United States. The median age in Santa Cruz County is 39.8 years, which is 2.3% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Santa Cruz County is $111,093, which ranks #91 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 47.8% above the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 11.6%, lower than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 6.1%.

The median home value in Santa Cruz County is $1.0M, 264.5% above the national median. Renters in Santa Cruz County pay a median gross rent of $2,264 per month. The homeownership rate is 59.9%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Santa Cruz County, 43.9% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 30.4% above the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 95.1% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 28.6 min.

Santa Cruz County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 53.9% of the population, followed by Hispanic or Latino (35.2%) and Asian (non-Hispanic) (4.7%).

All data for Santa Cruz County, California comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.

About this data

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2024). All values are estimates derived from survey samples and are subject to margin of error. For more information, see our methodology.