Population
Santa Cruz
60,953
Berkeley
120,223
Median Income
Santa Cruz
$111,427
Berkeley
$108,558
Home Value
Santa Cruz
$1,180,100
Berkeley
$1,351,100
Rent
Santa Cruz
$2,302
Berkeley
$2,127
Crime Rate
Santa Cruz
6.13
Berkeley
6.40
Cost of Living
Santa Cruz
225.2
Berkeley
233.6
Avg Temp
Santa Cruz
N/A
Berkeley
N/A
Unemployment
Santa Cruz
6.3%
Berkeley
6.0%
How Similar Are Santa Cruz & Berkeley?
Berkeley is Santa Cruz's #7 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Santa Cruz
60,953
Berkeley
120,223
Berkeley has a 49% larger population than Santa Cruz.
Violent Crime
Santa Cruz
6.13
Berkeley
6.40
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 4% difference.
Property Crime
Santa Cruz
25.15
Berkeley
52.29
Berkeley's property crime is significantly higher than Santa Cruz's — 52% difference.
Political Leaning
Santa Cruz
20.9%
Berkeley
21.0%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 1% difference.
Unemployment
Santa Cruz
6.3%
Berkeley
6.0%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 5% difference.
Median Income
Santa Cruz
$111,427
Berkeley
$108,558
Both cities have similar median income — just a 3% difference.
Home Values
Santa Cruz
$1,180,100
Berkeley
$1,351,100
Berkeley has a 13% higher home values than Santa Cruz.
Education
Santa Cruz
33.5%
Berkeley
47.7%
Berkeley has a 30% higher education than Santa Cruz.
Demographics
Santa Cruz
65.8%
Berkeley
54.8%
Santa Cruz has a 17% higher demographics than Berkeley.
Cost of Living
Santa Cruz
225.2
Berkeley
233.6
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Santa Cruz and Berkeley share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Santa Cruz
0
Berkeley
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 (45% lower). Berkeley has a fair market rent (1br) of $2,385 vs $3,298 in Santa Cruz (38% 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 single-family homes of 65.5% compared to 44.0% in Berkeley. Santa Cruz has a median property tax of $6,609 vs $10,001 in Berkeley (34% lower). 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 (18% 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 violent crime clearance of 62.0% compared to 36.1% in Berkeley. Santa Cruz has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 25.15 compared to 52.29 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
Santa Cruz
Berkeley
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 ACSSanta Cruz has a drive alone of 53.0% compared to 27.4% in Berkeley. Berkeley 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.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Santa Cruz, CA
Compare Santa Cruz 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.