Population
Santa Cruz
60,953
Medford
59,062
Median Income
Santa Cruz
$111,427
Medford
$118,089
Home Value
Santa Cruz
$1,180,100
Medford
$715,500
Rent
Santa Cruz
$2,302
Medford
$2,477
Crime Rate
Santa Cruz
6.13
Medford
1.80
Cost of Living
Santa Cruz
225.2
Medford
205.7
Avg Temp
Santa Cruz
N/A
Medford
N/A
Unemployment
Santa Cruz
6.3%
Medford
4.4%
How Similar Are Santa Cruz & Medford?
Medford is Santa Cruz's #12 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Santa Cruz
60,953
Medford
59,062
Both cities have similar populations — Santa Cruz at 60,953 and Medford at 59,062.
Violent Crime
Santa Cruz
6.13
Medford
1.80
Santa Cruz's violent crime is significantly higher than Medford's — 71% difference.
Property Crime
Santa Cruz
25.15
Medford
12.00
Santa Cruz's property crime is significantly higher than Medford's — 52% difference.
Political Leaning
Santa Cruz
20.9%
Medford
29.0%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Medford has a stronger Democratic lean (28% difference).
Unemployment
Santa Cruz
6.3%
Medford
4.4%
Santa Cruz has a 30% higher unemployment than Medford.
Median Income
Santa Cruz
$111,427
Medford
$118,089
Both cities have similar median income — just a 6% difference.
Home Values
Santa Cruz
$1,180,100
Medford
$715,500
Santa Cruz has a 39% higher home values than Medford.
Education
Santa Cruz
33.5%
Medford
42.7%
Medford has a 21% higher education than Santa Cruz.
Demographics
Santa Cruz
65.8%
Medford
69.4%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 5% difference.
Cost of Living
Santa Cruz
225.2
Medford
205.7
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 9% difference.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Santa Cruz and Medford share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Santa Cruz
0
Medford
Medford leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Medford leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDMedford has a fair market rent (2br) of $2,941 vs $4,214 in Santa Cruz (43% lower). Medford has a fair market rent (1br) of $2,476 vs $3,298 in Santa Cruz (33% lower). Medford scores 306.5 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 375.1 in Santa Cruz.
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 ACSMedford has a vacancy rate of 5.0% compared to 8.9% in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz has a single-family homes of 65.5% compared to 39.5% in Medford. Santa Cruz has a median home value of $1,180,100 vs $715,500 in Medford (65% higher).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Medford leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMedford has a poverty rate of 8.2% compared to 17.6% in Santa Cruz. Medford has a unemployment rate of 4.4% compared to 6.3% in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz: 18 min vs Medford: 24 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 — Medford leads
Source: FBI UCRMedford has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.23 compared to 1.03 in Santa Cruz. Medford has a assault rate (per 1k) of 1.34 compared to 4.63 in Santa Cruz. Medford has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 1.80 compared to 6.13 in Santa Cruz.
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 — Medford leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauMedford has a high school diploma or higher of 56.5% compared to 39.5% in Santa Cruz. Medford has a bachelor's degree or higher of 42.7% compared to 33.5% 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 1x the size of Medford (59,062). Santa Cruz skews younger with a median age of 30.7 vs 36.1.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Santa Cruz
Medford
Healthcare — Medford leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareMedford: 4 vs Santa Cruz: 3 for with emergency services. Medford: 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 bicycle of 5.2% compared to 1.9% in Medford. Medford has a public transit of 14.1% compared to 4.8% in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz: 18 min vs Medford: 24 min for mean commute time.
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.