Santa Cruz County · California · West · 62k residents
Santa Cruz, CA: economy, jobs & business costs
The site-selection read on Santa Cruz: labor costs, talent, corporate tax, energy, and business activity, with the California median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
Average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,349/wk. California's corporate income tax rate is 8.84%. Commercial electricity averages 25.5¢/kWh.
Compare Santa Cruz side by side
Avg. weekly wage
$1,349/wk
Corporate income tax
8.84%
Bachelor's degree or higher
57.6%
Commercial electricity
25.5¢/kWh
Economic momentum
How fast Santa Cruz's economy is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
40/100
Steady
Ranks Santa Cruz's jobs growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. This is economic activity, not commercial lease rates or vacancy. Not investment or relocation advice.
| ACS median home value | $1,209,000 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $470 |
| Property tax rate | 0.75% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $1,973/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $2,758/mo |
| State & local income tax | 2.09% |
| Sales tax | 8.8% |
| Corporate income tax | 8.84% |
| Avg. weekly wage | $1,349/wk |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 57.6% |
| Commercial electricity | 25.5¢/kWh |
| Businesses per 1k residents | 40.3/1k |
| Wage: Software developer | $156,910 |
| Wage: Registered nurse | $170,960 |
| Wage: General manager | $105,360 |
| Wage: Customer service | $48,110 |
| Wage: Warehouse worker | $38,710 |
| Wage: Heavy truck driver | $59,500 |
| Wage: Electrician | $76,610 |
| Wage: Retail salesperson | $38,620 |
| Cost of living index | 174 |
| Groceries index | 112 |
| Utilities | $245/mo |
| Transit pass | $90/mo |
| Gas price | $4.80/gal |
| Healthcare index | 108 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,450/mo |
| Median household income | $115,475 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.2% |
| Population | 62k |
| Crime index | 52/100 |
| School rating | 5.5/10 |
| Walkability | 34/100 |
| Disaster risk | 98/100 |
| Avg. commute | 29 min |
| Sunny days / year | 260 days |
| July high | 74°F |
| January low | 41°F |
| Annual snowfall | 0 in |
| Home price YoY | +3.6% |
| Home price MoM | +0.5% |
| Rent YoY | +3.0% |
| Rent MoM | +0.7% |
| Employment (jobs) YoY | 0.0% |
| Building permits YoY | — |
| Ocean coast | < 3 mi |
| Big lake | 112 mi |
| Mountains | 33 mi |
| Major airport | 27 mi |
| Ski resort | 159 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Watsonville, CA · 52k
- Cupertino, CA · 59k
- Santa Clara, CA · 130k
- Gilroy, CA · 59k
- Sunnyvale, CA · 154k
Similar size
- Encinitas, CA · 61k
- Woodland, CA · 62k
- La Habra, CA · 62k
- Montebello, CA · 61k
- La Mesa, CA · 61k
Real listings in Santa Cruz
LoopNet ↗Crexi ↗CommercialCafe ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- Is Santa Cruz a good place to run a business?
- California's corporate income tax rate is 8.84%; average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,349/wk; commercial electricity averages 25.5¢/kWh. Weigh these against your own priorities in the business comparison tool.
- What is the cost of living in Santa Cruz, CA?
- Santa Cruz indexes at 174 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $2,758/mo and a acs median home value of $1,209,000.
- How much does a house cost in Santa Cruz?
- The acs median home value in Santa Cruz is $1,209,000 (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Santa Cruz?
- A two-bedroom in Santa Cruz rents for about $2,758/mo.