Population
Berkeley
120,223
Santa Cruz
60,953
Median Income
Berkeley
$108,558
Santa Cruz
$111,427
Home Value
Berkeley
$1,351,100
Santa Cruz
$1,180,100
Rent
Berkeley
$2,127
Santa Cruz
$2,302
Crime Rate
Berkeley
6.40
Santa Cruz
6.13
Cost of Living
Berkeley
233.6
Santa Cruz
225.2
Avg Temp
Berkeley
N/A
Santa Cruz
N/A
Unemployment
Berkeley
6.0%
Santa Cruz
6.3%
How Similar Are Berkeley & Santa Cruz?
Santa Cruz is Berkeley's #3 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Berkeley
120,223
Santa Cruz
60,953
Berkeley has a 49% larger population than Santa Cruz.
Violent Crime
Berkeley
6.40
Santa Cruz
6.13
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 4% difference.
Property Crime
Berkeley
52.29
Santa Cruz
25.15
Berkeley's property crime is significantly higher than Santa Cruz's — 52% difference.
Political Leaning
Berkeley
21.0%
Santa Cruz
20.9%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 1% difference.
Unemployment
Berkeley
6.0%
Santa Cruz
6.3%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 5% difference.
Median Income
Berkeley
$108,558
Santa Cruz
$111,427
Both cities have similar median income — just a 3% difference.
Home Values
Berkeley
$1,351,100
Santa Cruz
$1,180,100
Berkeley has a 13% higher home values than Santa Cruz.
Education
Berkeley
47.7%
Santa Cruz
33.5%
Berkeley has a 30% higher education than Santa Cruz.
Demographics
Berkeley
54.8%
Santa Cruz
65.8%
Santa Cruz has a 17% higher demographics than Berkeley.
Cost of Living
Berkeley
233.6
Santa Cruz
225.2
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Berkeley and Santa Cruz share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Berkeley
0
Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Santa Cruz leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDBerkeley has a fair market rent (2br) of $2,912 vs $4,214 in Santa Cruz (31% lower). Berkeley has a fair market rent (1br) of $2,385 vs $3,298 in Santa Cruz (28% lower). Santa Cruz scores 375.1 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 400.0 in Berkeley.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Santa Cruz leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSanta Cruz has a median property tax of $6,609 vs $10,001 in Berkeley (51% lower). Santa Cruz has a single-family homes of 65.5% compared to 44.0% in Berkeley. Santa Cruz has a vacancy rate of 8.9% compared to 10.3% in Berkeley.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Berkeley leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBerkeley: 66,168 vs Santa Cruz: 33,751 for labor force. Berkeley has a work from home of 32.5% compared to 19.3% in Santa Cruz. Berkeley has a per capita income of $66,936 vs $54,688 in Santa Cruz (22% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Santa Cruz leads
Source: FBI UCRSanta Cruz has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.35 compared to 6.61 in Berkeley. Santa Cruz has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 25.15 compared to 52.29 in Berkeley. Santa Cruz has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 1.03 compared to 1.87 in Berkeley.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Berkeley leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauBerkeley has a bachelor's degree or higher of 47.7% compared to 33.5% in Santa Cruz. Berkeley has a high school diploma or higher of 51.9% compared to 39.5% in Santa Cruz.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBerkeley has a population of 120,223, about 2x the size of Santa Cruz (60,953). Santa Cruz skews younger with a median age of 30.7 vs 32.9.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Berkeley
Santa Cruz
Healthcare — Berkeley leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareBerkeley: 5 vs Santa Cruz: 3 for with emergency services. Berkeley: 3.3 vs Santa Cruz: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Santa Cruz leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBerkeley has a public transit of 15.8% compared to 4.8% in Santa Cruz. Berkeley has a work from home of 32.5% compared to 19.3% in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz has a drive alone of 53.0% compared to 27.4% in Berkeley.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Berkeley, CA
Compare Berkeley against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.