Metro area · CBSA 42100
Santa Cruz
The Santa Cruz, CA metro area has 264,926 people. Median rent is $2,264, 24.5% of median household income, and HUD puts the 2-bedroom fair market rent in Santa Cruz County at $4,254. Of the 26 places we track here, Mount Hermon has the lightest rent burden.
Median household income
$111,093
Median home value
$1,027,500
Unemployment
6.1%
2-bedroom fair market rent
$4,254
HUD, Santa Cruz County
Places in this metro
Largest first. Rent to income is the median rent as a share of median household income.
| Place | Population | Rent | Rent to income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz | 61,607 | $2,452 | 25.5% |
| Watsonville | 51,712 | $1,889 | 28.9% |
| Live Oak | 16,911 | $2,421 | 28.0% |
| Scotts Valley | 12,044 | $2,491 | 20.8% |
| Soquel | 10,679 | $2,266 | 22.9% |
| Capitola | 9,689 | $2,512 | 29.3% |
| Rio del Mar | 9,201 | $3,407 | 25.6% |
| Interlaken | 8,068 | $1,941 | 21.3% |
| Ben Lomond | 6,858 | $2,514 | 23.2% |
| Aptos | 6,404 | $2,059 | 18.4% |
| Pleasure Point | 5,489 | $2,705 | 27.1% |
| Twin Lakes | 5,073 | $2,344 | 31.2% |
| Boulder Creek | 4,632 | $1,907 | 27.2% |
| Felton | 4,093 | $2,068 | 20.2% |
| Day Valley | 3,579 | $1,669 | 12.9% |
| Seacliff | 3,299 | $2,462 | 22.7% |
| Freedom | 3,172 | $1,621 | 20.7% |
| Bonny Doon | 3,149 | $1,838 | 15.2% |
| Amesti | 2,818 | $1,660 | 18.3% |
| La Selva Beach | 2,302 | $3,379 | 25.2% |
| Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley | 2,127 | $3,501 | 26.5% |
| Corralitos | 1,884 | $2,218 | 15.6% |
| Brookdale | 1,378 | $1,814 | 24.9% |
| Mount Hermon | 939 | $1,394 | 10.6% |
| Lompico | 788 | $2,264 | 29.7% |
| Pasatiempo | 610 | $3,294 | 18.3% |
Nearby metro areas
Data as of 2026-11-14. How these figures are built.