Population
Santa Cruz
60,953
Shoreline
59,280
Median Income
Santa Cruz
$111,427
Shoreline
$113,336
Home Value
Santa Cruz
$1,180,100
Shoreline
$759,400
Rent
Santa Cruz
$2,302
Shoreline
$1,938
Crime Rate
Santa Cruz
6.13
Shoreline
2.12
Cost of Living
Santa Cruz
225.2
Shoreline
193.7
Avg Temp
Santa Cruz
N/A
Shoreline
N/A
Unemployment
Santa Cruz
6.3%
Shoreline
4.4%
How Similar Are Santa Cruz & Shoreline?
Shoreline is Santa Cruz's #5 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Santa Cruz
60,953
Shoreline
59,280
Both cities have similar populations — Santa Cruz at 60,953 and Shoreline at 59,280.
Violent Crime
Santa Cruz
6.13
Shoreline
2.12
Santa Cruz's violent crime is significantly higher than Shoreline's — 65% difference.
Property Crime
Santa Cruz
25.15
Shoreline
25.32
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 1% difference.
Political Leaning
Santa Cruz
20.9%
Shoreline
22.5%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 7% difference.
Unemployment
Santa Cruz
6.3%
Shoreline
4.4%
Santa Cruz has a 31% higher unemployment than Shoreline.
Median Income
Santa Cruz
$111,427
Shoreline
$113,336
Both cities have similar median income — just a 2% difference.
Home Values
Santa Cruz
$1,180,100
Shoreline
$759,400
Santa Cruz has a 36% higher home values than Shoreline.
Education
Santa Cruz
33.5%
Shoreline
40.1%
Shoreline has a 16% higher education than Santa Cruz.
Demographics
Santa Cruz
65.8%
Shoreline
64.9%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 1% difference.
Cost of Living
Santa Cruz
225.2
Shoreline
193.7
Santa Cruz has a 14% higher cost of living than Shoreline.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Santa Cruz and Shoreline share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Santa Cruz
0
Shoreline
Shoreline leads in 7 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Shoreline leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDShoreline has a fair market rent (2br) of $2,501 vs $4,214 in Santa Cruz (68% lower). Shoreline has a fair market rent (1br) of $2,146 vs $3,298 in Santa Cruz (54% lower). Shoreline scores 283.7 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 — Shoreline leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSShoreline has a vacancy rate of 4.3% compared to 8.9% in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz has a median home value of $1,180,100 vs $759,400 in Shoreline (55% higher). Shoreline has a owner-occupied of 67.3% compared to 47.7% in Santa Cruz.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Shoreline leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSShoreline has a poverty rate of 8.4% compared to 17.6% in Santa Cruz. Shoreline has a unemployment rate of 4.4% compared to 6.3% in Santa Cruz. Shoreline has a government sector of 44.1% compared to 36.8% 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 — Shoreline leads
Source: FBI UCRShoreline has a assault rate (per 1k) of 0.82 compared to 4.63 in Santa Cruz. Shoreline has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.02 compared to 0.05 in Santa Cruz. Shoreline has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 2.12 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 — Shoreline leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauShoreline has a high school diploma or higher of 51.4% compared to 39.5% in Santa Cruz. Shoreline has a bachelor's degree or higher of 40.1% 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 Shoreline (59,280). Santa Cruz skews younger with a median age of 30.7 vs 42.1.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Santa Cruz
Shoreline
Healthcare — Shoreline leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareShoreline: 4 vs Santa Cruz: 3 for with emergency services. Shoreline: 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 — Shoreline leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSanta Cruz has a bicycle of 5.2% compared to 0.8% in Shoreline. Shoreline has a public transit of 7.0% compared to 4.8% in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz: 18 min vs Shoreline: 22 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.