Population
Santa Cruz
60,953
San Rafael
60,604
Median Income
Santa Cruz
$111,427
San Rafael
$109,317
Home Value
Santa Cruz
$1,180,100
San Rafael
$1,246,200
Rent
Santa Cruz
$2,302
San Rafael
$2,346
Crime Rate
Santa Cruz
6.13
San Rafael
5.59
Cost of Living
Santa Cruz
225.2
San Rafael
240.9
Avg Temp
Santa Cruz
N/A
San Rafael
N/A
Unemployment
Santa Cruz
6.3%
San Rafael
5.8%
How Similar Are Santa Cruz & San Rafael?
San Rafael is Santa Cruz's #1 most similar city
8 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Santa Cruz
60,953
San Rafael
60,604
Both cities have similar populations — Santa Cruz at 60,953 and San Rafael at 60,604.
Violent Crime
Santa Cruz
6.13
San Rafael
5.59
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 9% difference.
Property Crime
Santa Cruz
25.15
San Rafael
24.56
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 2% difference.
Political Leaning
Santa Cruz
20.9%
San Rafael
16.7%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Santa Cruz has a stronger Democratic lean (20% difference).
Unemployment
Santa Cruz
6.3%
San Rafael
5.8%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 8% difference.
Median Income
Santa Cruz
$111,427
San Rafael
$109,317
Both cities have similar median income — just a 2% difference.
Home Values
Santa Cruz
$1,180,100
San Rafael
$1,246,200
Both cities have similar home values — just a 5% difference.
Education
Santa Cruz
33.5%
San Rafael
35.4%
Both cities have similar education — just a 5% difference.
Demographics
Santa Cruz
65.8%
San Rafael
57.1%
Santa Cruz has a 13% higher demographics than San Rafael.
Cost of Living
Santa Cruz
225.2
San Rafael
240.9
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 7% difference.
8 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Santa Cruz and San Rafael are remarkably similar cities.
At a Glance
0
Santa Cruz
0
San Rafael
San Rafael leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Santa Cruz leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDSanta Cruz scores 117.6 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 167.1 in San Rafael. San Rafael has a fair market rent (2br) of $3,604 vs $4,214 in Santa Cruz (17% lower). San Rafael 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 ACSSan Rafael has a vacancy rate of 4.0% compared to 8.9% in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz has a median property tax of $6,609 vs $10,001 in San Rafael (34% lower). Santa Cruz has a single-family homes of 65.5% compared to 55.5% in San Rafael.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — San Rafael leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSan Rafael has a poverty rate of 10.9% compared to 17.6% in Santa Cruz. San Rafael has a per capita income of $67,609 vs $54,688 in Santa Cruz (19% higher). San Rafael has a work from home of 22.9% compared to 19.3% 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 — San Rafael leads
Source: FBI UCRSan Rafael has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.02 compared to 0.05 in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.35 compared to 2.64 in San Rafael. Santa Cruz has a violent crime clearance of 62.0% compared to 44.2% in San Rafael.
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 — San Rafael leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauSan Rafael has a high school diploma or higher of 45.3% compared to 39.5% in Santa Cruz. San Rafael has a bachelor's degree or higher of 35.4% 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 San Rafael (60,604). Santa Cruz skews younger with a median age of 30.7 vs 43.5.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Santa Cruz
San Rafael
Healthcare — San Rafael leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareSan Rafael: 5 vs Santa Cruz: 3 for with emergency services. San Rafael: 3.4 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 0.9% in San Rafael. San Rafael has a public transit of 6.8% compared to 4.8% in Santa Cruz. San Rafael has a work from home of 22.9% compared to 19.3% 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.