Population
Santa Cruz
60,953
Bethesda
67,403
Median Income
Santa Cruz
$111,427
Bethesda
$191,348
Home Value
Santa Cruz
$1,180,100
Bethesda
$1,129,700
Rent
Santa Cruz
$2,302
Bethesda
$2,437
Crime Rate
Santa Cruz
6.13
Bethesda
N/A
Cost of Living
Santa Cruz
225.2
Bethesda
273.7
Avg Temp
Santa Cruz
N/A
Bethesda
N/A
Unemployment
Santa Cruz
6.3%
Bethesda
3.2%
How Similar Are Santa Cruz & Bethesda?
Bethesda is Santa Cruz's #22 most similar city
4 of 8 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Santa Cruz
60,953
Bethesda
67,403
Both cities have similar populations — Santa Cruz at 60,953 and Bethesda at 67,403.
Political Leaning
Santa Cruz
20.9%
Bethesda
21.9%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 5% difference.
Unemployment
Santa Cruz
6.3%
Bethesda
3.2%
Santa Cruz has a 49% higher unemployment than Bethesda.
Median Income
Santa Cruz
$111,427
Bethesda
$191,348
Bethesda has a 42% higher median income than Santa Cruz.
Home Values
Santa Cruz
$1,180,100
Bethesda
$1,129,700
Both cities have similar home values — just a 4% difference.
Education
Santa Cruz
33.5%
Bethesda
60.7%
Bethesda has a 45% higher education than Santa Cruz.
Demographics
Santa Cruz
65.8%
Bethesda
70.3%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 6% difference.
Cost of Living
Santa Cruz
225.2
Bethesda
273.7
Bethesda has a 18% higher cost of living than Santa Cruz.
4 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. Santa Cruz and Bethesda share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Santa Cruz
0
Bethesda
Santa Cruz leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Santa Cruz leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDBethesda has a fair market rent (2br) of $2,246 vs $4,214 in Santa Cruz (88% lower). Bethesda has a fair market rent (1br) of $2,015 vs $3,298 in Santa Cruz (64% lower). Santa Cruz scores 135.2 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 196.3 in Bethesda.
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 Bethesda (34% lower). Bethesda has a owner-occupied of 65.0% compared to 47.7% in Santa Cruz. Bethesda has a vacancy rate of 7.5% compared to 8.9% in Santa Cruz.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Bethesda leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBethesda has a poverty rate of 4.0% compared to 17.6% in Santa Cruz. Bethesda has a unemployment rate of 3.2% compared to 6.3% in Santa Cruz. Bethesda has a per capita income of $118,933 vs $54,688 in Santa Cruz (54% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety
Source: FBI UCRViolent 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 — Bethesda leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauBethesda has a bachelor's degree or higher of 60.7% compared to 33.5% in Santa Cruz. Bethesda has a high school diploma or higher of 63.2% 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 ACSBethesda has a population of 67,403, about 1.1x the size of Santa Cruz (60,953). Santa Cruz skews younger with a median age of 30.7 vs 43.4.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Santa Cruz
Bethesda
Healthcare — Santa Cruz leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareSanta Cruz: 3.0 vs Bethesda: 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 1.6% in Bethesda. Bethesda has a public transit of 10.9% compared to 4.8% in Santa Cruz. Bethesda has a work from home of 35.9% 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.