Population
Santa Cruz
60,953
Castro Valley
65,389
Median Income
Santa Cruz
$111,427
Castro Valley
$138,069
Home Value
Santa Cruz
$1,180,100
Castro Valley
$1,058,200
Rent
Santa Cruz
$2,302
Castro Valley
$2,499
Crime Rate
Santa Cruz
6.13
Castro Valley
N/A
Cost of Living
Santa Cruz
225.2
Castro Valley
242.4
Avg Temp
Santa Cruz
N/A
Castro Valley
N/A
Unemployment
Santa Cruz
6.3%
Castro Valley
3.8%
How Similar Are Santa Cruz & Castro Valley?
Castro Valley is Santa Cruz's #14 most similar city
4 of 8 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Santa Cruz
60,953
Castro Valley
65,389
Both cities have similar populations — Santa Cruz at 60,953 and Castro Valley at 65,389.
Political Leaning
Santa Cruz
20.9%
Castro Valley
21.0%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 1% difference.
Unemployment
Santa Cruz
6.3%
Castro Valley
3.8%
Santa Cruz has a 40% higher unemployment than Castro Valley.
Median Income
Santa Cruz
$111,427
Castro Valley
$138,069
Castro Valley has a 19% higher median income than Santa Cruz.
Home Values
Santa Cruz
$1,180,100
Castro Valley
$1,058,200
Santa Cruz has a 10% higher home values than Castro Valley.
Education
Santa Cruz
33.5%
Castro Valley
32.3%
Both cities have similar education — just a 4% difference.
Demographics
Santa Cruz
65.8%
Castro Valley
38.3%
Santa Cruz has a 42% higher demographics than Castro Valley.
Cost of Living
Santa Cruz
225.2
Castro Valley
242.4
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 7% difference.
4 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. Santa Cruz and Castro Valley share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Santa Cruz
0
Castro Valley
Santa Cruz leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Santa Cruz leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDCastro Valley has a fair market rent (2br) of $2,912 vs $4,214 in Santa Cruz (45% lower). Castro Valley has a fair market rent (1br) of $2,385 vs $3,298 in Santa Cruz (38% lower). Santa Cruz scores 117.6 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 158.5 in Castro Valley.
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 ACSCastro Valley has a vacancy rate of 2.9% compared to 8.9% in Santa Cruz. Castro Valley has a owner-occupied of 71.5% compared to 47.7% in Santa Cruz. Castro Valley has a single-family homes of 80.8% compared to 65.5% in Santa Cruz.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Castro Valley leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSCastro Valley has a poverty rate of 7.5% compared to 17.6% in Santa Cruz. Castro Valley has a unemployment rate of 3.8% compared to 6.3% in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz: 18 min vs Castro Valley: 27 min for mean commute.
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
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauCastro Valley has a high school diploma or higher of 44.6% compared to 39.5% in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz has a bachelor's degree or higher of 33.5% compared to 32.3% in Castro Valley.
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 ACSCastro Valley has a population of 65,389, about 1.1x the size of Santa Cruz (60,953). Santa Cruz skews younger with a median age of 30.7 vs 42.8.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Santa Cruz
Castro Valley
Healthcare — Santa Cruz leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareSanta Cruz: 3.0 vs Castro Valley: 2.5 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 0.7% in Castro Valley. Santa Cruz: 18 min vs Castro Valley: 27 min for mean commute time. Castro Valley has a drive alone of 65.7% compared to 53.0% 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.