Population
Gilroy
58,561
Santa Cruz
60,953
Median Income
Gilroy
$131,554
Santa Cruz
$111,427
Home Value
Gilroy
$975,800
Santa Cruz
$1,180,100
Rent
Gilroy
$2,270
Santa Cruz
$2,302
Crime Rate
Gilroy
4.61
Santa Cruz
6.13
Cost of Living
Gilroy
230.3
Santa Cruz
225.2
Avg Temp
Gilroy
N/A
Santa Cruz
N/A
Unemployment
Gilroy
6.1%
Santa Cruz
6.3%
How Similar Are Gilroy & Santa Cruz?
Santa Cruz is Gilroy's #14 most similar city
3 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Gilroy
58,561
Santa Cruz
60,953
Both cities have similar populations — Gilroy at 58,561 and Santa Cruz at 60,953.
Violent Crime
Gilroy
4.61
Santa Cruz
6.13
Santa Cruz has a 25% higher violent crime than Gilroy.
Property Crime
Gilroy
21.63
Santa Cruz
25.15
Santa Cruz has a 14% higher property crime than Gilroy.
Political Leaning
Gilroy
28.1%
Santa Cruz
20.9%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Gilroy has a stronger Democratic lean (26% difference).
Unemployment
Gilroy
6.1%
Santa Cruz
6.3%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 3% difference.
Median Income
Gilroy
$131,554
Santa Cruz
$111,427
Gilroy has a 15% higher median income than Santa Cruz.
Home Values
Gilroy
$975,800
Santa Cruz
$1,180,100
Santa Cruz has a 17% higher home values than Gilroy.
Education
Gilroy
17.9%
Santa Cruz
33.5%
Santa Cruz has a 47% higher education than Gilroy.
Demographics
Gilroy
38.4%
Santa Cruz
65.8%
Santa Cruz has a 42% higher demographics than Gilroy.
Cost of Living
Gilroy
230.3
Santa Cruz
225.2
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 2% difference.
3 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Gilroy and Santa Cruz differ in most key areas.
At a Glance
0
Gilroy
0
Santa Cruz
Cost of Living & Affordability — Santa Cruz leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDSanta Cruz scores 117.6 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 160.7 in Gilroy. Gilroy has a fair market rent (2br) of $3,483 vs $4,214 in Santa Cruz (17% lower). Santa Cruz scores 135.2 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 150.6 in Gilroy.
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 — Gilroy leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSGilroy has a vacancy rate of 4.6% compared to 8.9% in Santa Cruz. Gilroy has a owner-occupied of 62.9% compared to 47.7% in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz has a median property tax of $6,609 vs $8,014 in Gilroy (21% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Gilroy leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSanta Cruz: 18 min vs Gilroy: 30 min for mean commute. Gilroy has a poverty rate of 7.6% compared to 17.6% in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz has a work from home of 19.3% compared to 12.6% in Gilroy.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Gilroy leads
Source: FBI UCRGilroy has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.05 in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.35 compared to 2.56 in Gilroy. Gilroy has a property crime clearance of 16.7% compared to 11.5% in Santa Cruz.
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 — Santa Cruz leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauSanta Cruz has a bachelor's degree or higher of 33.5% compared to 17.9% in Gilroy. Santa Cruz has a high school diploma or higher of 39.5% compared to 31.3% in Gilroy.
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 ACSSanta Cruz has a population of 60,953, about 1x the size of Gilroy (58,561). Santa Cruz skews younger with a median age of 30.7 vs 36.0.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Gilroy
Santa Cruz
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareGilroy: 4 vs Santa Cruz: 3 for with emergency services. Santa Cruz: 3.0 vs Gilroy: 2.7 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 ACSSanta Cruz has a bicycle of 5.2% compared to 0.6% in Gilroy. Santa Cruz has a public transit of 4.8% compared to 1.6% in Gilroy. Santa Cruz: 18 min vs Gilroy: 30 min for mean commute time.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Gilroy, CA
Compare Gilroy 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.