Population
San Rafael
60,604
Santa Cruz
60,953
Median Income
San Rafael
$109,317
Santa Cruz
$111,427
Home Value
San Rafael
$1,246,200
Santa Cruz
$1,180,100
Rent
San Rafael
$2,346
Santa Cruz
$2,302
Crime Rate
San Rafael
5.59
Santa Cruz
6.13
Cost of Living
San Rafael
240.9
Santa Cruz
225.2
Avg Temp
San Rafael
N/A
Santa Cruz
N/A
Unemployment
San Rafael
5.8%
Santa Cruz
6.3%
How Similar Are San Rafael & Santa Cruz?
Santa Cruz is San Rafael's #1 most similar city
8 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
San Rafael
60,604
Santa Cruz
60,953
Both cities have similar populations — San Rafael at 60,604 and Santa Cruz at 60,953.
Violent Crime
San Rafael
5.59
Santa Cruz
6.13
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 9% difference.
Property Crime
San Rafael
24.56
Santa Cruz
25.15
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 2% difference.
Political Leaning
San Rafael
16.7%
Santa Cruz
20.9%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Santa Cruz has a stronger Democratic lean (20% difference).
Unemployment
San Rafael
5.8%
Santa Cruz
6.3%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 8% difference.
Median Income
San Rafael
$109,317
Santa Cruz
$111,427
Both cities have similar median income — just a 2% difference.
Home Values
San Rafael
$1,246,200
Santa Cruz
$1,180,100
Both cities have similar home values — just a 5% difference.
Education
San Rafael
35.4%
Santa Cruz
33.5%
Both cities have similar education — just a 5% difference.
Demographics
San Rafael
57.1%
Santa Cruz
65.8%
Santa Cruz has a 13% higher demographics than San Rafael.
Cost of Living
San Rafael
240.9
Santa Cruz
225.2
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 7% difference.
8 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. San Rafael and Santa Cruz are remarkably similar cities.
At a Glance
0
San Rafael
0
Santa Cruz
San Rafael leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Santa Cruz leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDSanta Cruz scores 117.6 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 167.1 in San Rafael. San Rafael has a fair market rent (2br) of $3,604 vs $4,214 in Santa Cruz (14% lower). San Rafael has a fair market rent (1br) of $2,977 vs $3,298 in Santa Cruz (10% lower).
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 ACSSan Rafael has a vacancy rate of 4.0% compared to 8.9% in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz has a median property tax of $6,609 vs $10,001 in San Rafael (51% lower). Santa Cruz has a single-family homes of 65.5% compared to 55.5% in San Rafael.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — San Rafael leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSan Rafael has a poverty rate of 10.9% compared to 17.6% in Santa Cruz. San Rafael has a per capita income of $67,609 vs $54,688 in Santa Cruz (24% higher). San Rafael has a work from home of 22.9% compared to 19.3% 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 — San Rafael leads
Source: FBI UCRSanta Cruz has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.35 compared to 2.64 in San Rafael. San Rafael has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.02 compared to 0.05 in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 1.03 compared to 1.49 in San Rafael.
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 — San Rafael leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauSan Rafael has a high school diploma or higher of 45.3% compared to 39.5% in Santa Cruz. San Rafael has a bachelor's degree or higher of 35.4% compared to 33.5% 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 ACSSanta Cruz has a population of 60,953, about 1x the size of San Rafael (60,604). Santa Cruz skews younger with a median age of 30.7 vs 43.5.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
San Rafael
Santa Cruz
Healthcare — San Rafael leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareSan Rafael: 5 vs Santa Cruz: 3 for with emergency services. San Rafael: 3.4 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
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSanta Cruz has a bicycle of 5.2% compared to 0.9% in San Rafael. San Rafael has a public transit of 6.8% compared to 4.8% in Santa Cruz. San Rafael has a work from home of 22.9% compared to 19.3% in Santa Cruz.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to San Rafael, CA
Compare San Rafael 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.