Population

Santa Cruz

60,953

East Palo Alto

29,143

Median Income

Santa Cruz

$111,427

East Palo Alto

$104,832

Home Value

Santa Cruz

$1,180,100

East Palo Alto

$1,124,000

Rent

Santa Cruz

$2,302

East Palo Alto

$2,209

Crime Rate

Santa Cruz

6.13

East Palo Alto

6.07

Cost of Living

Santa Cruz

225.2

East Palo Alto

218.1

Avg Temp

Santa Cruz

N/A

East Palo Alto

N/A

Unemployment

Santa Cruz

6.3%

East Palo Alto

5.2%

Loading map…

How Similar Are Santa Cruz & East Palo Alto?

East Palo Alto is Santa Cruz's #11 most similar city

4/10

4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Santa Cruz

60,953

vs

East Palo Alto

29,143

Different · 52% difference

Santa Cruz (60,953) is about 2.1x larger than East Palo Alto (29,143).

Violent Crime

Santa Cruz

6.13

vs

East Palo Alto

6.07

Match · 1% difference
🚨

Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 1% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Santa Cruz

25.15

vs

East Palo Alto

19.20

Different · 24% difference

Santa Cruz has a 24% higher property crime than East Palo Alto.

Political Leaning

Santa Cruz

20.9%

vs

East Palo Alto

23.2%

Different · 10% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic, but East Palo Alto has a stronger Democratic lean (10% difference).

Unemployment

💼

Santa Cruz

6.3%

vs

East Palo Alto

5.2%

Different · 18% difference

Santa Cruz has a 18% higher unemployment than East Palo Alto.

Median Income

Santa Cruz

$111,427

vs

East Palo Alto

$104,832

Match · 6% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 6% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Santa Cruz

$1,180,100

vs

East Palo Alto

$1,124,000

Match · 5% difference

Both cities have similar home values — just a 5% difference.

Education

Santa Cruz

33.5%

vs

East Palo Alto

17.4%

Different · 48% difference
🎓

Santa Cruz has a 48% higher education than East Palo Alto.

Demographics

🌍

Santa Cruz

65.8%

vs

East Palo Alto

23.4%

Different · 65% difference

Santa Cruz's demographics is significantly higher than East Palo Alto's — 65% difference.

Cost of Living

Santa Cruz

225.2

vs

East Palo Alto

218.1

Match · 3% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 3% difference.

4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Santa Cruz and East Palo Alto share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Santa Cruz

vsof 8

0

East Palo Alto

Santa Cruz leads in 4 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — East Palo Alto leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

East Palo Alto has a fair market rent (2br) of $3,604 vs $4,214 in Santa Cruz (17% lower). East Palo Alto has a fair market rent (1br) of $2,977 vs $3,298 in Santa Cruz (11% lower). Santa Cruz scores 117.6 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 122.5 in East Palo Alto.

Overall Cost Index

Santa Cruz225.2
East Palo Alto218.1

Housing Index

Santa Cruz375.1
East Palo Alto362.1

Food Index

Santa Cruz135.2
East Palo Alto130.1

Transportation Index

Santa Cruz117.6
East Palo Alto122.5

Healthcare Index

Santa Cruz128.1
East Palo Alto124.1

Utilities Index

Santa Cruz176.1
East Palo Alto170.5

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Santa Cruz$99,072
East Palo Alto$95,982

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Santa Cruz$234,170
East Palo Alto$226,866

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Santa Cruz$3,298
East Palo Alto$2,977

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Santa Cruz$4,214
East Palo Alto$3,604

Housing Market — Santa Cruz leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Santa Cruz has a vacancy rate of 8.9% compared to 10.4% in East Palo Alto. Santa Cruz has a single-family homes of 65.5% compared to 60.7% in East Palo Alto. Santa Cruz has a median property tax of $6,609 vs $7,014 in East Palo Alto (6% lower).

Median Home Value

Santa Cruz$1,180,100
East Palo Alto$1,124,000

Median Rent

Santa Cruz$2,302
East Palo Alto$2,209

Median Property Tax

Santa Cruz$6,609
East Palo Alto$7,014

Owner-Occupied

Santa Cruz47.7%
East Palo Alto47.9%

Vacancy Rate

Santa Cruz8.9%
East Palo Alto10.4%

Single-Family Homes

Santa Cruz65.5%
East Palo Alto60.7%

Jobs & Economy — Santa Cruz leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Santa Cruz: 33,751 vs East Palo Alto: 16,580 for labor force. East Palo Alto has a poverty rate of 9.7% compared to 17.6% in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz has a per capita income of $54,688 vs $40,141 in East Palo Alto (36% higher).

Median Household Income

Santa Cruz$111,427
East Palo Alto$104,832

Per Capita Income

Santa Cruz$54,688
East Palo Alto$40,141

Poverty Rate

Santa Cruz17.6%
East Palo Alto9.7%

Unemployment Rate

Santa Cruz6.3%
East Palo Alto5.2%

Labor Force

Santa Cruz33,751
East Palo Alto16,580

Mean Commute

Santa Cruz18 min
East Palo Alto22 min

Work from Home

Santa Cruz19.3%
East Palo Alto14.3%

Private Sector

Santa Cruz82.3%
East Palo Alto92.0%

Government Sector

Santa Cruz36.8%
East Palo Alto45.2%

Crime & Safety — East Palo Alto leads

Source: FBI UCR

Santa Cruz has a violent crime clearance of 62.0% compared to 37.5% in East Palo Alto. East Palo Alto has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 13.52 compared to 22.22 in Santa Cruz. East Palo Alto has a assault rate (per 1k) of 2.93 compared to 4.63 in Santa Cruz.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Santa Cruz6.13
East Palo Alto6.07

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Santa Cruz25.15
East Palo Alto19.20

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Santa Cruz0.05
East Palo Alto0.07

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Santa Cruz1.03
East Palo Alto2.13

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Santa Cruz4.63
East Palo Alto2.93

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Santa Cruz1.35
East Palo Alto1.08

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Santa Cruz22.22
East Palo Alto13.52

Violent Crime Clearance

Santa Cruz62.0%
East Palo Alto37.5%

Property Crime Clearance

Santa Cruz11.5%
East Palo Alto18.8%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

Santa CruzN/A
East Palo AltoN/A

Avg Annual High

Santa CruzN/A
East Palo AltoN/A

Avg Annual Low

Santa CruzN/A
East Palo AltoN/A

Sunny Days per Year

Santa CruzN/A
East Palo AltoN/A

Annual Rainfall

Santa CruzN/A
East Palo AltoN/A

Annual Snowfall

Santa CruzN/A
East Palo AltoN/A

Avg Humidity

Santa CruzN/A
East Palo AltoN/A

Schools & Education — Santa Cruz leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Santa Cruz has a bachelor's degree or higher of 33.5% compared to 17.4% in East Palo Alto. Santa Cruz has a high school diploma or higher of 39.5% compared to 33.0% in East Palo Alto.

Public Schools

Santa Cruz0
East Palo Alto0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

Santa CruzN/A
East Palo AltoN/A

Colleges & Universities

Santa Cruz0
East Palo Alto0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Santa Cruz33.5%
East Palo Alto17.4%

High School Diploma or Higher

Santa Cruz39.5%
East Palo Alto33.0%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Santa Cruz has a population of 60,953, about 2.1x the size of East Palo Alto (29,143). Santa Cruz skews younger with a median age of 30.7 vs 34.2.

Population

Santa Cruz60,953
East Palo Alto29,143

Median Age

Santa Cruz31
East Palo Alto34

Avg Household Size

Santa Cruz2.3
East Palo Alto3.5

Married Population

Santa Cruz29.2%
East Palo Alto35.3%

Foreign Born

Santa Cruz12.8%
East Palo Alto41.9%

White

Santa Cruz65.8%
East Palo Alto23.4%

Black

Santa Cruz1.9%
East Palo Alto12.2%

Hispanic

Santa Cruz22.4%
East Palo Alto62.1%

Asian

Santa Cruz9.9%
East Palo Alto5.8%

Santa Cruz

East Palo Alto

Healthcare — East Palo Alto leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

East Palo Alto: 4.5 vs Santa Cruz: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5). East Palo Alto: 4 vs Santa Cruz: 3 for with emergency services.

Nearby Hospitals

Santa Cruz5
East Palo Alto5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Santa Cruz3.0
East Palo Alto4.5

With Emergency Services

Santa Cruz3
East Palo Alto4

Transportation & Commute — Santa Cruz leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Santa Cruz has a bicycle of 5.2% compared to 1.4% in East Palo Alto. Santa Cruz has a public transit of 4.8% compared to 2.0% in East Palo Alto. Santa Cruz has a work from home of 19.3% compared to 14.3% in East Palo Alto.

Mean Commute Time

Santa Cruz18 min
East Palo Alto22 min

Drive Alone

Santa Cruz53.0%
East Palo Alto66.1%

Public Transit

Santa Cruz4.8%
East Palo Alto2.0%

Bicycle

Santa Cruz5.2%
East Palo Alto1.4%

Work from Home

Santa Cruz19.3%
East Palo Alto14.3%

Airports

Santa Cruz0
East Palo Alto0

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.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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