Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA

Public Use Microdata Area (PUMA)

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2024 Population

116,392

US Senator

Alex Padilla

Democratic Party

US Senator

Adam Schiff

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

38.1

0.263% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

13.1%

3.76% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$112,142

3.45% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$1.13M

2.27% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

57,390

1.04% 1-year growth

About

24.2% of the households in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

93.5% of the residents in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA are University of California-Santa Cruz (5,565 degrees awarded in 2024) and Five Branches University (134 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA was $1.13M, and the homeownership rate was 53.3%.

Most people in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 23.1 minutes. The average car ownership in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA was 2 cars per household.

Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA borders Monterey County (North Central)--Seaside, Monterey, Marina & Pacific Grove Cities PUMA, CA, Monterey (South & East) & San Benito Counties PUMA, CA, San Mateo County (South & West)--San Mateo (South) & Half Moon Bay Cities PUMA, CA, and Santa Cruz County (North)--Watsonville & Scotts Valley Cities PUMA, CA.

Photo by GPA Photo Archive

United States California

Population & Diversity

Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA is home to a population of 116k people, from which 93.5% are citizens. As of 2024, 12.8% of Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA residents were born outside of the country (14.9k people).

In 2024, there were 6.54 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (71.9k people) in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 11k Other (Hispanic) and 8.66k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

The most common non-English languages spoken as the primary language in households in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA are Spanish (17,201 households), Chinese (Incl. Mandarin, Cantonese) (2,405 households), and Japanese (622 households).

Population & Diversity

Residents by Gender and Age

RACE/ETHNICITY

59,574

Women

51%

57,184

Men

49%

The resident population of United States in 2024 was 116,758 inhabitants, with 49% men, and 51% women.

The visualization shows the distribution of the residents by gender and age in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA.

With the upper buttons you can add a filter by race.

Citizenship

93.5%

2024 Citizenship

93.3%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 93.5% of Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA was 93.3%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA

White (Non-Hispanic)
71.9k ± 1.81k
Other (Hispanic)
11k ± 1.57k
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
8.66k ± 1.23k

23.7%

Hispanic Population

27.5k people

23.7% of the people in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA are hispanic (27.5k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

Most Common Origin

Mexico
4,561 ± 1,625 people
China
1,326 ± 889 people
India
969 ± 761 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA was Mexico, the natal country of 4,561 Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA residents, followed by China with 1,326 and India with 969.

Foreign-Born Population

12.8%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

14.9k people

12.6%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

14.6k people

As of 2024, 12.8% of Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA residents (14.9k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA was 12.6%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Non-English Households

Most Common Non-English Languages

Spanish
17,201 households (15.3%)
Chinese (Incl. Mandarin, Cantonese)
2,405 households (2.14%)
Japanese
622 households (0.553%)

24.2% of the households in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language, which is higher than the national average of 22.3%. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

In 2024, the most common non-English language spoken in households in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA was Spanish. 15.3% of the households in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA reported speaking Spanish at home as the primary shared language between all members living in the household.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,503 ± 289
Gulf War (2001-)
546 ± 168
Gulf War (1990s)
389 ± 152

Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.75 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA.

Health

95.9% of the population of Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA has health coverage, with 52.1% on employee plans, 13.6% on Medicaid, 13.5% on Medicare, 16.1% on non-group plans, and 0.665% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in California see 1,233 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,233 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1076 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 213 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.9% were men and 51.1% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for California.

1,233 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in California

Primary care physicians in California see an average of 1,233 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,233 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in California in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 16.8% under 18 years, 29.8% between 18 and 34 years, 35% between 35 and 64 years, and 18.5% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.9% were men and 51.1% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

4.07%

Uninsured

52.1%

Employer Coverage

13.6%

Medicaid

13.5%

Medicare

16.1%

Non-Group

0.665%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA declined by 3.66% from 4.22% to 4.07%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Economy

The economy of Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA employs 57.4k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA were Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges (5,045 people), Restaurants & Food Services (4,634 people), and Elementary & secondary schools (3,438 people), and the highest paying industries were Software publishers ($480,246), Computer & peripheral equipment manufacturing ($407,987), and Internet publishing, broadcasting & web search portals ($334,833).

Males in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA have an average income that is 1.39 times higher than the average income of females, which is $94,037. The income inequality in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA (measured using the Gini index) is 0.539, which is higher than than the national average.

Employment

Workforce Diversity

Measure

RACE/ETHNICITY

28,113

Women

49%

29,277

Men

51%

The workforce of Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA in 2024 was 57,390 people, with 49% woman, and 51% men.

The visualization shows the distribution of the workforce by gender and age in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA.

With the upper buttons you can see the distribution of the average salary and add a filter by race.

Occupations

57.4k

2024 Value

1.04%

1 Year growth

± 1.04%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA grew at a rate of 1.04%, from 56.8k employees to 57.4k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA, are Other managers (2,085 people), Retail salespersons (1,933 people), and Elementary & middle school teachers (1,701 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for California.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in California (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

57.4k

2024 Value

1.04%

1 Year growth

± 1.04%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA grew at a rate of 1.04%, from 56.8k employees to 57.4k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA, are Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges (5,045 people), Restaurants & Food Services (4,634 people), and Elementary & secondary schools (3,438 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA, though some of these residents may live in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$66,916

Median earning men ± $5,159

$45,899

Median earning women ± $4,448

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($122,298), Public Administration ($121,849), and Information ($102,639).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($97,168), Information ($93,979), and Construction ($81,053).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for California.

Y-Axis

2.57%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 17.9M people employed in California. This represents a 2.57% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 14%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in California.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in California went to Kamala Harris with 58.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (38.3%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.25%).

Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff are the senators currently representing the state of California. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

California is currently represented by 51 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA. Showing the available data for California.

2024 Election Results

Kamala Harris (58.5%)
Democratic Party
Donald J. Trump (38.3%)
Republican Party
Robert Kennedy (1.25%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in California went to Kamala Harris with 58.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (38.3%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.25%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in California for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from California

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for California.

Alex Padilla

Senator from California

Assumed office on January 20, 2021
Appointed to the seat following the resignation of Kamala Harris, who had become Vice President of the United States.

Adam Schiff

Senator from California

Assumed office on December 8, 2024
Elected to the seat to succeed Laphonza Butler, who had been appointed to the seat following the death of Dianne Feinstein.

Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff are the senators currently representing California.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in California over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

In 2024, universities in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA awarded 5,699 degrees. The student population of Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 9,612 male students and 10,647 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA are White (1,877 and 35.3%), Hispanic or Latino (1,455 and 27.3%), Asian (1,323 and 24.9%), and Two or More Races (445 and 8.36%).

The largest universities in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA by number of degrees awarded are University of California-Santa Cruz (5,565 and 97.6%) and Five Branches University (134 and 2.35%).

The most popular majors in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA are Computer Science (719 and 12.6%), General Psychology (524 and 9.19%), and Business & Managerial Economics (306 and 5.37%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $12,260 for in-state students and $44,148 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 65.8%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 9.29%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 20,259 (47.4% men and 52.6% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 20,259 students enrolled in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA, 47.4% men and 52.6% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 6,220 records, of which 52.3% were women and 47.7% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Computer Science
655 degrees awarded
General Psychology
507 degrees awarded
Business & Managerial Economics
306 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA was Computer Science with 655 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

University of California-Santa Cruz
5,565 degrees awarded
Five Branches University
134 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was University of California-Santa Cruz with 5,565 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 2,807 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA, which is 0.971 times less than the 2,892 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 1,877 degrees mean that there were 1.29 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 1,455 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Public, 4-year or above ($12,260) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($2,775) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,315) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Measure

In 2024, 1.23% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.893% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population of Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA in 2024 were Some college (27k), Bachelors Degree (25.3k), and Graduate Degree (18.5k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA was $1.13M in 2024, which is 3.41 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $1.11M to $1.13M, a 2.27% increase. The homeownership rate in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA is 53.3%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA have an average commute time of 23.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$1.13M

Median Property Value 2024

±$21,433

$24,208

Median Property Taxes

±$1,052

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

53.3%

Homeownership

2024

65.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 53.3% of the housing units in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 53%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$112,142

Median Household Income

± $4,071

45.4k

Number of Households

± 1,660

In 2024, the median household income of the 45.4k households in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA grew to $112,142 from the previous year's value of $108,400.

The following chart displays the households in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $200k+ range.

Wage Distribution

0.539

2024 Wage GINI in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA

0.544

2023 Wage GINI in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA

In 2024, the income inequality in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA was 0.539 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 1% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA was higher than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed less evenly in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (57%)
Worked At Home (21.5%)
Carpooled (6.98%)

In 2024, 57% of workers in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (21.5%) and those who carpooled to work (6.98%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

23.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA have a shorter commute time (23.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.95% of the workforce in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

13.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA (13.9k out of 106k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Santa Cruz County (South & Coastal)--Santa Cruz City PUMA, CA is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.