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Santa Cruz County, California

Santa Cruz County profile, demographic data, and geographic information.

Santa Cruz County is a county located in California, United States of America. As of official census estimates, it has a reported population of 258,852. The land area covers 445.11 sq mi. [1]

Local Government Administration U.S. Census Bureau GMAF

County Of Santa Cruz County
Official Title: Supervisor
Address: 701 OCEAN ST, RM 500, SANTA CRUZ CA 95060-4003

Demographics & Population

Demographic Metric Estimate / Count Margin of Error Survey Period / Source
Total Population (2025 PEP Estimate) 258,852 — 2025 / Census
Median Age 39.8 yrs ±0.3 2020-2024 / Census ACS 5-Year 2024
Total Households 96,898 ±687 2020-2024 / Census ACS 5-Year 2024
Source: U.S. Census Bureau (PEP, ACS 5-Year).

Housing & Real Estate Profile

Housing Metric Estimate / Value Margin of Error
Total Housing Units 106,977 ±177
Occupied Housing Units 96,898 ±687
Vacant Housing Units 10,079 ±690
Median Home Value $1,027,500 ±$15,133
Median Gross Rent $2,264 ±$51
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year (2020-2024).

Economy & Workforce

Economic Metric Estimate / Value Margin of Error
Median Household Income $111,093 ±$2,734
Per Capita Income $56,941 ±$1,210
Poverty Rate 11.6% ±0.8%
Population Below Poverty Level 29,478 ±1,994
Unemployment Rate 6.1% ±0.6%
Civilian Labor Force, Employed 130,957 ±1,900
Broadband Internet Rate 94.2% ±0.7%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year (2020-2024).

Climate & Weather Observations

NOAA Monthly Climate Normals

Observation Station: Climate data reflects NOAA 1991–2020 standard normals recorded at SANTA CRUZ, CA US, located 1.7 miles from Santa Cruz County. Local microclimates, topography, and elevation may cause municipal conditions to differ.
Month High (°F) Low (°F) Mean (°F) Precip (in) Snow (in)
January 62.5° 41.4° 51.9° 6.42" 0.0"
February 63.9° 42.7° 53.3° 6.10" 0.0"
March 66.5° 44.1° 55.3° 4.31" 0.0"
April 69.3° 45.7° 57.5° 2.04" 0.0"
May 71.4° 49.0° 60.2° 0.87" 0.0"
June 74.0° 51.6° 62.8° 0.24" 0.0"
July 74.3° 54.3° 64.3° 0.01" 0.0"
August 75.8° 54.6° 65.2° 0.04" 0.0"
September 76.7° 52.9° 64.8° 0.10" 0.0"
October 73.9° 49.5° 61.7° 1.32" 0.0"
November 66.7° 44.4° 55.6° 3.17" 0.0"
December 61.5° 40.9° 51.2° 6.01" 0.0"
Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020).

Local Weather Forecast

Weather forecast data is currently unavailable in the local cache.

Sources & Data Provenance

  1. Geographic Classification & Identifiers: U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer (2026) and TIGER/Line Shapefiles. GEOID: 06087. • Official Source Dataset →
  2. Socioeconomic & Housing Metrics: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates and Population Estimates Program (PEP). Margin of Error (MOE) intervals are reported where published; suppressed values are never estimated or replaced with false zeros.
  3. Civic Directory Datasets: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS Hospital Directory), National Center for Education Statistics (NCES IPEDS Postsecondary Directory), and Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS Public Libraries Survey). Airport landing facilities are provided by airport-data.com.
  4. Weather & Climate Observations: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 and National Weather Service (NWS) point forecasts.