Map the Block › Places › California › Santa Cruz County
What are the crime rate and median income in Santa Cruz County, California?
The violent-crime rate in Santa Cruz County was 3.8 per 1,000 residents (2021-2025 average, FBI), 20% lower than the statewide rate (4.8). Median household income is $111,093 and the unemployment rate was 5.3% in August 2026. About 264,926 people live in the county.
Last updated . Crime: FBI 2021-2025. Income and housing: Census ACS 2020-2024. Unemployment: BLS August 2026. Road work: October 11, 2026.
Also on the map: income · hazard risk · Superfund · dams
What is the crime rate in Santa Cruz County?
From 2021 through 2025, Santa Cruz County averaged 1,008 reported violent crimes a year, along with 3,804 property crimes. The violent rate, 3.8 per 1,000 people, is 20% lower than the California rate (4.8); nationally it is 3.7. Burglary, theft and car theft together come to 14.5 per 1,000 residents, compared with 21.2 across California. Aggravated assaults make up 72% of the violent total. CDC death records show about 8 homicide deaths a year in the county (3.1 per 100,000), a count that includes cases police may classify differently.
| Offense (yearly average, 2021-2025) | Santa Cruz County | Per 1,000 | California per 1,000 | U.S. per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 1,008 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 3.7 |
| Murder | 5 | 0.02 | 0.05 | 0.06 |
| Rape | 104 | 0.40 | 0.37 | 0.40 |
| Robbery | 179 | 0.68 | 1.2 | 0.62 |
| Aggravated assault | 721 | 2.7 | 3.2 | 2.6 |
| Property crime | 3,804 | 14.5 | 21.2 | 18.1 |
| Burglary | 442 | 1.7 | 3.3 | 2.4 |
| Larceny-theft | 3,036 | 11.6 | 13.6 | 13.0 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 325 | 1.2 | 4.3 | 2.6 |
Most crime never reaches the police, so these are reported crimes, a floor rather than the full count. In 2024 about half of violent crimes (48%) and about 3 in 10 property crimes (31%) were reported to police (U.S. Justice Department, National Crime Victimization Survey). Rates also depend on how completely each agency reports to the FBI. County figures add up the city police and sheriff reports in the county (5 agencies; 99% of residents covered).
What is the median household income in Santa Cruz County?
Median household income is $111,093, 12% higher than the statewide figure ($99,122). Owner-occupied homes have a median value of $1,027,500, and the median rent is $2,264 a month. 9.9% of households received SNAP benefits in the past year (state: 12.4%). The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 5.3% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 7,394 people out of work and looking.
| Census ACS 2020-2024 | Santa Cruz County | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 264,926 | 39,287,377 | 334,922,499 |
| Median household income | $111,093 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $1,027,500 | $734,700 | $332,700 |
| Median gross rent | $2,264 | $2,036 | $1,413 |
| Unemployment rate (2020-2024 average) | 6.1% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
| People below the poverty line | 11.6% | 12.0% | 12.5% |
| Households receiving SNAP (food stamps) | 9.9% | 12.4% | 12.1% |
| Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher | 43.9% | 37.1% | 35.7% |
| Homeowner households | 59.9% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
| Median age | 39.8 | 37.9 | 38.9 |
| Households with broadband internet | 94.2% | 93.5% | 91.0% |
| People without health insurance | 4.9% | 6.6% | 8.4% |
What natural hazards and environmental sites are in Santa Cruz County?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall natural-hazard risk for Santa Cruz County as “Relatively High”. Of the seven hazards on our map, FEMA rates these highest: river flooding (Relatively High) and earthquakes (Relatively High). The index compares counties with each other and also weighs how vulnerable and resilient a community is, so it is a long-run estimate, not a forecast.
Superfund sites
EPA lists 1 active Superfund site (final or proposed) in Santa Cruz County: Watkins-Johnson Co. (Stewart Division Plant). A listing means EPA is managing a long-term cleanup; it does not by itself mean anyone is exposed today.
High-hazard dams
The National Inventory of Dams lists 3 high-hazard dams in Santa Cruz County. None is rated Poor or Unsatisfactory; 3 are rated Satisfactory or Fair. The two tallest are Newell (182 ft) and Mill Creek (76 ft). “High hazard” describes what lies downstream (people would probably die if the dam failed), not how likely the dam is to fail.
Industrial chemical releases
1 facility in the county filed Toxics Release Inventory reports for 2024, together reporting 0 pounds of listed chemicals released on site. Reported releases are legal permitted amounts in most cases.
Disasters, air and water
Santa Cruz County was covered by 7 federal major disaster declarations from 2016 through 2025 (Severe Storm 3, Flood 3, Fire 1), not counting COVID-19. EPA air monitors logged 0 days in 2024 when the air quality index reached “unhealthy for sensitive groups” or worse. Of 52 community water systems, 13 had an open health-based drinking-water violation in EPA's records (September 2026). EPA puts the county in radon zone 2 (moderate). NHTSA counted 16 traffic deaths in the county in 2024, including 5 pedestrians.
Is there road construction in Santa Cruz County?
Santa Cruz County had 4 highway work zones in the October 11, 2026 feed from the state DOT (all active that day). Listed roads include SR 9 and SR 1. The map's construction layer is refreshed every morning.
See today's work zones on the map →
How many schools, nursing homes and parks are in Santa Cruz County?
Santa Cruz County has 83 public schools (2024-25) and 21 private schools (2023-24) in federal school lists. 7 nursing homes are certified by Medicare or Medicaid here; star ratings for each are on the map and on Medicare's Care Compare. USGS mapping shows 29 fire or EMS stations and 6 police or sheriff stations. 12 state parks or recreation areas: Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Castle Rock State Park, Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, Lighthouse Field State Beach and Manresa State Beach and 7 more.
Gun shops, liquor stores and Planned Parenthood in Santa Cruz County
Gun shops
3 gun shops with a public storefront are on the map in Santa Cruz County (2 from the ATF licensee list, 1 from OpenStreetMap), plus 4 more licensed dealers without a public storefront (not shown). On the ATF list: Markleys Indoor Range & Gun Shop (Watsonville) and Perry's Sporting Goods (Scotts Valley).
Liquor stores
42 liquor stores are on the map in Santa Cruz County: 41st Liquor & Market INC (Capitola), Beach Liquors (Santa Cruz), Ben Lomond Liquors (Ben Lomond), Ben Lomond Market (Ben Lomond), Beverages & More (Capitola), Boulder Creek Liquor And Wine Investment INC (Boulder Creek), Cabrillo Liquor & Wine Investment INC (Soquel), Capitola Union 76 (Capitola) and 34 more.
Planned Parenthood
One Planned Parenthood health center is on the map in Santa Cruz County: Planned Parenthood Mar Monte (Watsonville).
See them on the map: gun shops · liquor stores · Planned Parenthood →
Sources: ATF licensee list (Sept 2026); state liquor licence lists, OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps (non-official); HHS Title X directory and CMS NPPES.
Common questions
What is the crime rate in Santa Cruz County?
Santa Cruz County averaged 1,008 reported violent crimes a year in 2021-2025, or 3.8 per 1,000 residents, 20% lower than the California rate (4.8). The property-crime rate was 14.5 per 1,000 (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting).
What is the median household income in Santa Cruz County?
$111,093 (Census American Community Survey, 2020-2024 average), compared with $99,122 for California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the unemployment rate in Santa Cruz County?
The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 5.3% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 7,394 people out of work and looking.
What natural hazards affect Santa Cruz County?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall natural-hazard risk for Santa Cruz County as “Relatively High”. Of the seven hazards on our map, FEMA rates these highest: river flooding (Relatively High) and earthquakes (Relatively High).
Are there Superfund sites in Santa Cruz County?
EPA lists 1 active Superfund site (final or proposed) in Santa Cruz County: Watkins-Johnson Co. (Stewart Division Plant).
Is there road construction in Santa Cruz County right now?
Santa Cruz County had 4 highway work zones in the October 11, 2026 feed from the state DOT (all active that day). Listed roads include SR 9 and SR 1.
How many nursing homes are in Santa Cruz County?
7 Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing homes (CMS provider data, September 2026).
How does Santa Cruz County compare with neighboring counties?
| County | Population | Violent crimes per 1,000 (2021-25) | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monterey County | 437,613 | 4.3 | $97,230 |
| San Benito County | 67,290 | 3.3 | $114,394 |
| San Mateo County | 742,340 | 2.8 | $158,855 |
| Santa Clara County | 1,902,047 | 4.1 | $164,281 |
Cities in Santa Cruz County with their own page: Santa Cruz, Watsonville.
More: California statewide numbers · Sex-offender registry search (U.S. Justice Department, NSOPW)
Where do these numbers come from?
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting 2021-2025 (agency level, Return A), averaged and summed by county by Map the Block; Census population; state and national rates: FBI estimated crimes 2021-2025.
- Income, housing, education: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year, table B19013 (median household income) and related tables.
- Monthly unemployment: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), county data, not seasonally adjusted. Public domain.
- Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county scores; disasters: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
- Superfund: U.S. EPA, Superfund site boundaries and NPL status (October 2026). Dams: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Inventory of Dams (public map service, October 2026). Chemical releases: U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory, reporting year 2024 (basic data file).
- Air and water: U.S. EPA AirData, annual AQI by county 2024; EPA Air Quality Design Values 2023-2025 (June 2026); U.S. EPA SDWIS via ECHO drinking-water download (September 30, 2026). Traffic deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2024; Census population.
- Work zones: State departments of transportation, via the U.S. DOT Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx) and state 511 feeds; refreshed every morning (snapshot October 11, 2026).
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE public school locations 2024-25; budgets: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2024; National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE Private School geocodes (Private School Survey 2023-24). Nursing homes: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Nursing Home Provider Information and Penalties (September 2026). Stations: U.S. Geological Survey, National Structures Dataset (Fire Stations/EMS Stations), October 2026 pull.
- Parks: USGS Protected Areas Database of the U.S. (PAD-US 4.1); state park agencies' open data (CA, NY, PA, TN, TX, FL, NJ, KY, HI, UT, MT and others); OpenStreetMap contributors for some hours, phones, fees and camping; U.S. National Park Service: unit boundaries (Land Resources Division), Acreage Report (Sept 30, 2026), park pages on nps.gov (hours, fees), Visitor Use Statistics (2025).
Map the Block shows public statistics about places, not people, and does not rate or rank neighborhoods as places to live. Figures are as published by each source; check the source before relying on a number.
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