Population
Hayward
159,201
Santa Cruz
60,953
Median Income
Hayward
$113,775
Santa Cruz
$111,427
Home Value
Hayward
$820,700
Santa Cruz
$1,180,100
Rent
Hayward
$2,360
Santa Cruz
$2,302
Crime Rate
Hayward
4.77
Santa Cruz
6.13
Cost of Living
Hayward
208.2
Santa Cruz
225.2
Avg Temp
Hayward
N/A
Santa Cruz
N/A
Unemployment
Hayward
5.9%
Santa Cruz
6.3%
How Similar Are Hayward & Santa Cruz?
Santa Cruz is Hayward's #17 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Hayward
159,201
Santa Cruz
60,953
Hayward (159,201) is about 2.6x larger than Santa Cruz (60,953).
Violent Crime
Hayward
4.77
Santa Cruz
6.13
Santa Cruz has a 22% higher violent crime than Hayward.
Property Crime
Hayward
36.57
Santa Cruz
25.15
Hayward has a 31% higher property crime than Santa Cruz.
Political Leaning
Hayward
21.0%
Santa Cruz
20.9%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 1% difference.
Unemployment
Hayward
5.9%
Santa Cruz
6.3%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 7% difference.
Median Income
Hayward
$113,775
Santa Cruz
$111,427
Both cities have similar median income — just a 2% difference.
Home Values
Hayward
$820,700
Santa Cruz
$1,180,100
Santa Cruz has a 30% higher home values than Hayward.
Education
Hayward
23.4%
Santa Cruz
33.5%
Santa Cruz has a 30% higher education than Hayward.
Demographics
Hayward
19.6%
Santa Cruz
65.8%
Santa Cruz's demographics is significantly higher than Hayward's — 70% difference.
Cost of Living
Hayward
208.2
Santa Cruz
225.2
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 8% difference.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Hayward and Santa Cruz share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Hayward
0
Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Hayward leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDHayward has a fair market rent (2br) of $2,912 vs $4,214 in Santa Cruz (31% lower). Hayward has a fair market rent (1br) of $2,385 vs $3,298 in Santa Cruz (28% lower). Santa Cruz scores 117.6 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 149.3 in Hayward.
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
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSHayward has a vacancy rate of 5.2% compared to 8.9% in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz has a median home value of $1,180,100 vs $820,700 in Hayward (30% higher). Hayward has a owner-occupied of 57.0% compared to 47.7% in Santa Cruz.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Hayward leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSHayward: 88,399 vs Santa Cruz: 33,751 for labor force. Santa Cruz: 18 min vs Hayward: 30 min for mean commute. Hayward has a poverty rate of 9.5% compared to 17.6% in Santa Cruz.
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 3.64 in Hayward. Santa Cruz has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 1.03 compared to 1.74 in Hayward. Santa Cruz has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.05 compared to 0.08 in Hayward.
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
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauSanta Cruz has a bachelor's degree or higher of 33.5% compared to 23.4% in Hayward. Hayward has a high school diploma or higher of 40.5% 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 ACSHayward has a population of 159,201, about 2.6x the size of Santa Cruz (60,953). Santa Cruz skews younger with a median age of 30.7 vs 38.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Hayward
Santa Cruz
Healthcare — Santa Cruz leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareSanta Cruz: 3.0 vs Hayward: 2.8 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 0.3% in Hayward. Santa Cruz: 18 min vs Hayward: 30 min for mean commute time. Santa Cruz has a work from home of 19.3% compared to 12.3% in Hayward.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Hayward, CA
Compare Hayward 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.