Population
Santa Cruz
60,953
Live Oak
16,866
Median Income
Santa Cruz
$111,427
Live Oak
$107,500
Home Value
Santa Cruz
$1,180,100
Live Oak
$975,900
Rent
Santa Cruz
$2,302
Live Oak
$2,414
Crime Rate
Santa Cruz
6.13
Live Oak
N/A
Cost of Living
Santa Cruz
225.2
Live Oak
213.3
Avg Temp
Santa Cruz
N/A
Live Oak
N/A
Unemployment
Santa Cruz
6.3%
Live Oak
4.2%
How Similar Are Santa Cruz & Live Oak?
Live Oak is Santa Cruz's #8 most similar city
5 of 8 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Santa Cruz
60,953
Live Oak
16,866
Santa Cruz (60,953) is about 3.6x larger than Live Oak (16,866).
Political Leaning
Santa Cruz
20.9%
Live Oak
20.9%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 0% difference.
Unemployment
Santa Cruz
6.3%
Live Oak
4.2%
Santa Cruz has a 34% higher unemployment than Live Oak.
Median Income
Santa Cruz
$111,427
Live Oak
$107,500
Both cities have similar median income — just a 4% difference.
Home Values
Santa Cruz
$1,180,100
Live Oak
$975,900
Santa Cruz has a 17% higher home values than Live Oak.
Education
Santa Cruz
33.5%
Live Oak
30.2%
Both cities have similar education — just a 10% difference.
Demographics
Santa Cruz
65.8%
Live Oak
63.5%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 3% difference.
Cost of Living
Santa Cruz
225.2
Live Oak
213.3
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 5% difference.
5 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. Santa Cruz and Live Oak share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Santa Cruz
0
Live Oak
Live Oak leads in 2 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Live Oak leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDLive Oak scores 347.8 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 375.1 in Santa Cruz. Live Oak scores 213.3 on the overall cost index (100 = national avg) vs 225.2 in Santa Cruz. Live Oak has a living wage (family of 4) of $221,879 vs $234,170 in Santa Cruz (6% 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 ACSLive Oak has a vacancy rate of 4.1% compared to 8.9% in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz has a median home value of $1,180,100 vs $975,900 in Live Oak (21% higher). Live Oak has a owner-occupied of 60.0% compared to 47.7% in Santa Cruz.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Live Oak leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSanta Cruz: 33,751 vs Live Oak: 9,539 for labor force. Live Oak has a unemployment rate of 4.2% compared to 6.3% in Santa Cruz. Live Oak has a poverty rate of 13.1% compared to 17.6% 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
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 BureauSanta Cruz has a bachelor's degree or higher of 33.5% compared to 30.2% in Live Oak. Live Oak has a high school diploma or higher of 42.2% 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 ACSSanta Cruz has a population of 60,953, about 3.6x the size of Live Oak (16,866). Santa Cruz skews younger with a median age of 30.7 vs 41.3.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Santa Cruz
Live Oak
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareNearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Santa Cruz leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSanta Cruz has a public transit of 4.8% compared to 1.8% in Live Oak. Santa Cruz has a bicycle of 5.2% compared to 2.3% in Live Oak. Santa Cruz has a work from home of 19.3% compared to 15.1% in Live Oak.
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.