Population
Santa Cruz
60,953
Novato
52,689
Median Income
Santa Cruz
$111,427
Novato
$112,193
Home Value
Santa Cruz
$1,180,100
Novato
$1,007,100
Rent
Santa Cruz
$2,302
Novato
$2,422
Crime Rate
Santa Cruz
6.13
Novato
2.54
Cost of Living
Santa Cruz
225.2
Novato
228.4
Avg Temp
Santa Cruz
N/A
Novato
N/A
Unemployment
Santa Cruz
6.3%
Novato
6.7%
How Similar Are Santa Cruz & Novato?
Novato is Santa Cruz's #2 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Santa Cruz
60,953
Novato
52,689
Santa Cruz has a 14% larger population than Novato.
Violent Crime
Santa Cruz
6.13
Novato
2.54
Santa Cruz's violent crime is significantly higher than Novato's — 59% difference.
Property Crime
Santa Cruz
25.15
Novato
13.54
Santa Cruz has a 46% higher property crime than Novato.
Political Leaning
Santa Cruz
20.9%
Novato
16.7%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Santa Cruz has a stronger Democratic lean (20% difference).
Unemployment
Santa Cruz
6.3%
Novato
6.7%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 6% difference.
Median Income
Santa Cruz
$111,427
Novato
$112,193
Both cities have similar median income — just a 1% difference.
Home Values
Santa Cruz
$1,180,100
Novato
$1,007,100
Santa Cruz has a 15% higher home values than Novato.
Education
Santa Cruz
33.5%
Novato
34.9%
Both cities have similar education — just a 4% difference.
Demographics
Santa Cruz
65.8%
Novato
62.5%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 5% difference.
Cost of Living
Santa Cruz
225.2
Novato
228.4
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Santa Cruz and Novato share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Santa Cruz
0
Novato
Novato leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability
Source: City Stats Index / HUDSanta Cruz scores 117.6 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 171.5 in Novato. Novato has a fair market rent (2br) of $3,604 vs $4,214 in Santa Cruz (17% lower). Novato has a fair market rent (1br) of $2,977 vs $3,298 in Santa Cruz (11% 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 ACSNovato has a vacancy rate of 3.9% compared to 8.9% in Santa Cruz. Novato has a owner-occupied of 65.5% compared to 47.7% in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz has a median home value of $1,180,100 vs $1,007,100 in Novato (17% higher).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Novato leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSNovato has a poverty rate of 9.0% compared to 17.6% in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz: 33,751 vs Novato: 26,608 for labor force. Novato has a per capita income of $64,439 vs $54,688 in Santa Cruz (15% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Novato leads
Source: FBI UCRNovato has a assault rate (per 1k) of 1.74 compared to 4.63 in Santa Cruz. Novato has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 2.54 compared to 6.13 in Santa Cruz. Novato has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.47 compared to 1.03 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 — Novato leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauNovato has a high school diploma or higher of 46.0% compared to 39.5% in Santa Cruz. Novato has a bachelor's degree or higher of 34.9% 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 1.2x the size of Novato (52,689). Santa Cruz skews younger with a median age of 30.7 vs 47.8.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Santa Cruz
Novato
Healthcare — Novato leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareNovato: 4 vs Santa Cruz: 3 for with emergency services. Novato: 3.5 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 0.7% in Novato. Novato has a drive alone of 67.0% compared to 53.0% in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz has a public transit of 4.8% compared to 4.2% in Novato.
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.