All Countries
Santa Cruz, CA
Full City Profile · California · Santa Cruz County County
2.9
/5.0
C+
Fair
60,953
Population
4,784/sq mi density
$111,427
Median Income
$54,688 per capita
$1,180,100
Home Value
$1,313,461 Zillow
$2,302
Median Rent
32.6% income on rent
59°F
Avg Temperature
317 sunny days/yr
596
Violent Crime/100K
4,493 property/100K
C+
Overall
2.9 / 5.0
Fair overall score based on economy, affordability, safety and education
A+
Economy
4.7 / 5.0
$111,427 median income, 3.9% unemployment
F
Affordability
1.0 / 5.0
$1,180,100 home value, $2,302/mo rent
F
Safety
1.0 / 5.0
596 violent crimes/100K (57% above avg)
A+
Education
5.0 / 5.0
57.7% bachelor's degree or higher
Change Over Time (2013–2023)
Population Change
+0.1%
62,809 → 62,857
over 10 years
Annual Pop. Growth
+0.01%
Compound annual growth rate
Median Income Change
+80.9%
$61,600 → $111,427
nominal, not inflation-adjusted
Annual Income Growth
+6.11%
Compound annual growth rate
Population Over Time
Total population for Santa Cruz across each available Census ACS release.
Median Household Income Over Time
Median household income reported by U.S. Census ACS. Values are nominal (not adjusted for inflation).
Projected 2030
Simple projections extrapolating the 2013–2023 compound annual growth rate forward. These are mathematical extensions of recent trends, not forecasts — real outcomes depend on migration, policy and economic shifts.
Projected Population 2030
62,901
+44 from 2023 (62,857)
Projected Median Income 2030
$168,766
+$57,339 from 2023 ($111,427)
Year-by-Year Detail
| Year | Population | YoY % | Median Income | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 62,809 | — | $61,600 | — |
| 2015 | 64,346 | +2.4% | $62,164 | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 65,197 | +1.3% | $65,421 | +5.2% |
| 2019 | 65,387 | +0.3% | $77,921 | +19.1% |
| 2021 | 61,950 | -5.3% | $96,217 | +23.5% |
| 2023 | 62,857 | +1.5% | $111,427 | +15.8% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 5-Year Estimates (Data Commons). Home value and rent are not yet available historically.