Population
Santa Cruz
60,953
Olympia
55,583
Median Income
Santa Cruz
$111,427
Olympia
$76,930
Home Value
Santa Cruz
$1,180,100
Olympia
$457,900
Rent
Santa Cruz
$2,302
Olympia
$1,509
Crime Rate
Santa Cruz
6.13
Olympia
5.65
Cost of Living
Santa Cruz
225.2
Olympia
142.3
Avg Temp
Santa Cruz
N/A
Olympia
N/A
Unemployment
Santa Cruz
6.3%
Olympia
6.9%
How Similar Are Santa Cruz & Olympia?
Olympia is Santa Cruz's #23 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Santa Cruz
60,953
Olympia
55,583
Both cities have similar populations — Santa Cruz at 60,953 and Olympia at 55,583.
Violent Crime
Santa Cruz
6.13
Olympia
5.65
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 8% difference.
Property Crime
Santa Cruz
25.15
Olympia
34.35
Olympia has a 27% higher property crime than Santa Cruz.
Political Leaning
Santa Cruz
20.9%
Olympia
38.1%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Olympia has a stronger Democratic lean (45% difference).
Unemployment
Santa Cruz
6.3%
Olympia
6.9%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 9% difference.
Median Income
Santa Cruz
$111,427
Olympia
$76,930
Santa Cruz has a 31% higher median income than Olympia.
Home Values
Santa Cruz
$1,180,100
Olympia
$457,900
Santa Cruz's home values is significantly higher than Olympia's — 61% difference.
Education
Santa Cruz
33.5%
Olympia
36.8%
Both cities have similar education — just a 9% difference.
Demographics
Santa Cruz
65.8%
Olympia
75.9%
Olympia has a 13% higher demographics than Santa Cruz.
Cost of Living
Santa Cruz
225.2
Olympia
142.3
Santa Cruz has a 37% higher cost of living than Olympia.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Santa Cruz and Olympia share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Santa Cruz
0
Olympia
Olympia leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Olympia leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDOlympia has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,960 vs $4,214 in Santa Cruz (115% lower). Olympia has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,682 vs $3,298 in Santa Cruz (96% lower). Olympia scores 193.1 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 — Olympia leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSanta Cruz has a median home value of $1,180,100 vs $457,900 in Olympia (158% higher). Olympia has a vacancy rate of 4.9% compared to 8.9% in Santa Cruz. Olympia has a median property tax of $4,221 vs $6,609 in Santa Cruz (57% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Santa Cruz leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSanta Cruz has a median household income of $111,427 vs $76,930 in Olympia (45% higher). Santa Cruz has a per capita income of $54,688 vs $44,315 in Olympia (23% higher). Olympia has a poverty rate of 14.8% 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 — Santa Cruz leads
Source: FBI UCRSanta Cruz has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.35 compared to 5.68 in Olympia. Olympia has a property crime clearance of 19.7% compared to 11.5% in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.05 compared to 0.07 in Olympia.
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 — Olympia leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauOlympia has a high school diploma or higher of 49.0% compared to 39.5% in Santa Cruz. Olympia has a bachelor's degree or higher of 36.8% 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 1.1x the size of Olympia (55,583). Santa Cruz skews younger with a median age of 30.7 vs 39.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Santa Cruz
Olympia
Healthcare — Olympia leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareOlympia: 4 vs Santa Cruz: 3 for with emergency services. Olympia: 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
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSanta Cruz has a bicycle of 5.2% compared to 1.0% in Olympia. Santa Cruz has a public transit of 4.8% compared to 2.5% in Olympia. Olympia has a drive alone of 62.7% 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.