Population

Watsonville

51,968

Balch Springs

27,181

Median Income

Watsonville

$74,785

Balch Springs

$70,528

Home Value

Watsonville

$657,700

Balch Springs

$208,200

Rent

Watsonville

$1,784

Balch Springs

$1,260

Crime Rate

Watsonville

3.99

Balch Springs

4.21

Cost of Living

Watsonville

159.7

Balch Springs

114.6

Avg Temp

Watsonville

N/A

Balch Springs

N/A

Unemployment

Watsonville

7.8%

Balch Springs

8.3%

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How Similar Are Watsonville & Balch Springs?

Balch Springs is Watsonville's #8 most similar city

5/10

5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Watsonville

51,968

vs

Balch Springs

27,181

Different · 48% difference

Watsonville has a 48% larger population than Balch Springs.

Violent Crime

Watsonville

3.99

vs

Balch Springs

4.21

Match · 5% difference
🚨

Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 5% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Watsonville

11.82

vs

Balch Springs

28.15

Different · 58% difference

Balch Springs's property crime is significantly higher than Watsonville's — 58% difference.

Political Leaning

Watsonville

20.9%

vs

Balch Springs

38.0%

Different · 45% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic, but Balch Springs has a stronger Democratic lean (45% difference).

Unemployment

💼

Watsonville

7.8%

vs

Balch Springs

8.3%

Match · 6% difference

Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 6% difference.

Median Income

Watsonville

$74,785

vs

Balch Springs

$70,528

Match · 6% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 6% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Watsonville

$657,700

vs

Balch Springs

$208,200

Different · 68% difference

Watsonville's home values is significantly higher than Balch Springs's — 68% difference.

Education

Watsonville

7.6%

vs

Balch Springs

7.1%

Match · 7% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 7% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Watsonville

30.0%

vs

Balch Springs

27.0%

Match · 10% difference

Both cities have similar demographics — just a 10% difference.

Cost of Living

Watsonville

159.7

vs

Balch Springs

114.6

Different · 28% difference
💵

Watsonville has a 28% higher cost of living than Balch Springs.

5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Watsonville and Balch Springs share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Watsonville

vsof 8

0

Balch Springs

Cost of Living & Affordability — Balch Springs leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Balch Springs has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,931 vs $4,214 in Watsonville (118% lower). Balch Springs has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,648 vs $3,298 in Watsonville (100% lower). Balch Springs scores 130.0 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 244.2 in Watsonville.

Overall Cost Index

Watsonville159.7
Balch Springs114.6

Housing Index

Watsonville244.2
Balch Springs130.0

Food Index

Watsonville107.2
Balch Springs103.9

Transportation Index

Watsonville114.3
Balch Springs107.8

Healthcare Index

Watsonville105.7
Balch Springs103.1

Utilities Index

Watsonville133.1
Balch Springs108.4

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Watsonville$70,287
Balch Springs$50,419

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Watsonville$166,133
Balch Springs$119,172

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Watsonville$3,298
Balch Springs$1,648

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Watsonville$4,214
Balch Springs$1,931

Housing Market — Balch Springs leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Watsonville has a median home value of $657,700 vs $208,200 in Balch Springs (216% higher). Watsonville has a vacancy rate of 3.3% compared to 9.3% in Balch Springs. Balch Springs has a median property tax of $3,062 vs $4,376 in Watsonville (43% lower).

Median Home Value

Watsonville$657,700
Balch Springs$208,200

Median Rent

Watsonville$1,784
Balch Springs$1,260

Median Property Tax

Watsonville$4,376
Balch Springs$3,062

Owner-Occupied

Watsonville43.6%
Balch Springs63.9%

Vacancy Rate

Watsonville3.3%
Balch Springs9.3%

Single-Family Homes

Watsonville62.7%
Balch Springs70.2%

Jobs & Economy — Watsonville leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Balch Springs has a poverty rate of 7.0% compared to 15.2% in Watsonville. Watsonville: 24,126 vs Balch Springs: 13,979 for labor force. Balch Springs has a work from home of 8.5% compared to 6.0% in Watsonville.

Median Household Income

Watsonville$74,785
Balch Springs$70,528

Per Capita Income

Watsonville$27,296
Balch Springs$26,201

Poverty Rate

Watsonville15.2%
Balch Springs7.0%

Unemployment Rate

Watsonville7.8%
Balch Springs8.3%

Labor Force

Watsonville24,126
Balch Springs13,979

Mean Commute

WatsonvilleN/A
Balch SpringsN/A

Work from Home

Watsonville6.0%
Balch Springs8.5%

Private Sector

Watsonville99.4%
Balch SpringsN/A

Government Sector

Watsonville45.9%
Balch Springs48.8%

Crime & Safety — Watsonville leads

Source: FBI UCR

Watsonville has a property crime clearance of 17.3% compared to 6.0% in Balch Springs. Watsonville has a violent crime clearance of 39.3% compared to 16.8% in Balch Springs. Watsonville has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 7.45 compared to 18.31 in Balch Springs.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Watsonville3.99
Balch Springs4.21

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Watsonville11.82
Balch Springs28.15

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Watsonville0.00
Balch Springs0.00

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Watsonville0.54
Balch Springs1.08

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Watsonville2.90
Balch Springs2.68

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Watsonville1.39
Balch Springs3.32

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Watsonville7.45
Balch Springs18.31

Violent Crime Clearance

Watsonville39.3%
Balch Springs16.8%

Property Crime Clearance

Watsonville17.3%
Balch Springs6.0%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

WatsonvilleN/A
Balch SpringsN/A

Avg Annual High

WatsonvilleN/A
Balch SpringsN/A

Avg Annual Low

WatsonvilleN/A
Balch SpringsN/A

Sunny Days per Year

WatsonvilleN/A
Balch SpringsN/A

Annual Rainfall

WatsonvilleN/A
Balch SpringsN/A

Annual Snowfall

WatsonvilleN/A
Balch SpringsN/A

Avg Humidity

WatsonvilleN/A
Balch SpringsN/A

Schools & Education

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Balch Springs has a high school diploma or higher of 27.2% compared to 22.4% in Watsonville. Watsonville has a bachelor's degree or higher of 7.6% compared to 7.1% in Balch Springs.

Public Schools

Watsonville0
Balch Springs0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

WatsonvilleN/A
Balch SpringsN/A

Colleges & Universities

Watsonville0
Balch Springs0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Watsonville7.6%
Balch Springs7.1%

High School Diploma or Higher

Watsonville22.4%
Balch Springs27.2%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Watsonville has a population of 51,968, about 1.9x the size of Balch Springs (27,181). Watsonville skews younger with a median age of 32.7 vs 33.8.

Population

Watsonville51,968
Balch Springs27,181

Median Age

Watsonville33
Balch Springs34

Avg Household Size

Watsonville3.4
Balch Springs3.2

Married Population

Watsonville35.5%
Balch Springs35.9%

Foreign Born

Watsonville35.1%
Balch Springs22.6%

White

Watsonville30.0%
Balch Springs27.0%

Black

Watsonville1.0%
Balch Springs34.0%

Hispanic

Watsonville83.5%
Balch Springs51.0%

Asian

Watsonville2.5%
Balch Springs0.1%

Watsonville

Balch Springs

Healthcare

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Balch Springs: 5 vs Watsonville: 3 for with emergency services. Watsonville: 3.0 vs Balch Springs: 2.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Watsonville5
Balch Springs5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Watsonville3.0
Balch Springs2.8

With Emergency Services

Watsonville3
Balch Springs5

Transportation & Commute

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Balch Springs has a work from home of 8.5% compared to 6.0% in Watsonville. Watsonville has a public transit of 1.4% compared to 1.2% in Balch Springs. Balch Springs has a drive alone of 72.8% compared to 70.1% in Watsonville.

Mean Commute Time

WatsonvilleN/A
Balch SpringsN/A

Drive Alone

Watsonville70.1%
Balch Springs72.8%

Public Transit

Watsonville1.4%
Balch Springs1.2%

Bicycle

Watsonville0.0%
Balch Springs0.0%

Work from Home

Watsonville6.0%
Balch Springs8.5%

Airports

Watsonville0
Balch Springs0

Cities Similar to Watsonville, CA

Compare Watsonville 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.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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