Population
Watsonville
51,968
Colton
53,798
Median Income
Watsonville
$74,785
Colton
$69,581
Home Value
Watsonville
$657,700
Colton
$411,100
Rent
Watsonville
$1,784
Colton
$1,608
Crime Rate
Watsonville
3.99
Colton
3.93
Cost of Living
Watsonville
159.7
Colton
133.8
Avg Temp
Watsonville
N/A
Colton
N/A
Unemployment
Watsonville
7.8%
Colton
6.9%
How Similar Are Watsonville & Colton?
Colton is Watsonville's #16 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Watsonville
51,968
Colton
53,798
Both cities have similar populations — Watsonville at 51,968 and Colton at 53,798.
Violent Crime
Watsonville
3.99
Colton
3.93
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 2% difference.
Property Crime
Watsonville
11.82
Colton
21.05
Colton has a 44% higher property crime than Watsonville.
Political Leaning
Watsonville
20.9%
Colton
49.7%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Colton has a stronger Democratic lean (58% difference).
Unemployment
Watsonville
7.8%
Colton
6.9%
Watsonville has a 12% higher unemployment than Colton.
Median Income
Watsonville
$74,785
Colton
$69,581
Both cities have similar median income — just a 7% difference.
Home Values
Watsonville
$657,700
Colton
$411,100
Watsonville has a 37% higher home values than Colton.
Education
Watsonville
7.6%
Colton
10.9%
Colton has a 30% higher education than Watsonville.
Demographics
Watsonville
30.0%
Colton
27.6%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 8% difference.
Cost of Living
Watsonville
159.7
Colton
133.8
Watsonville has a 16% higher cost of living than Colton.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Watsonville and Colton share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Watsonville
0
Colton
Colton leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Colton leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDColton has a fair market rent (2br) of $2,201 vs $4,214 in Watsonville (91% lower). Colton has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,777 vs $3,298 in Watsonville (86% lower). Colton scores 183.6 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 244.2 in Watsonville.
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 ACSColton has a median property tax of $2,734 vs $4,376 in Watsonville (60% lower). Watsonville has a median home value of $657,700 vs $411,100 in Colton (60% higher). Watsonville has a vacancy rate of 3.3% compared to 5.2% in Colton.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Colton leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSColton has a work from home of 8.4% compared to 6.0% in Watsonville. Colton has a unemployment rate of 6.9% compared to 7.8% in Watsonville. Colton: 27,048 vs Watsonville: 24,126 for labor force.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Watsonville leads
Source: FBI UCRWatsonville has a property crime clearance of 17.3% compared to 7.9% in Colton. Watsonville has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.06 in Colton. Watsonville has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.39 compared to 3.01 in Colton.
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 — Colton leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauColton has a bachelor's degree or higher of 10.9% compared to 7.6% in Watsonville. Colton has a high school diploma or higher of 31.9% compared to 22.4% in Watsonville.
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 ACSColton has a population of 53,798, about 1x the size of Watsonville (51,968). Watsonville skews younger with a median age of 32.7 vs 33.9.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Watsonville
Colton
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareColton: 4 vs Watsonville: 3 for with emergency services. Watsonville: 3.0 vs Colton: 2.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Colton leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSColton has a bicycle of 0.1% compared to 0.0% in Watsonville. Colton has a work from home of 8.4% compared to 6.0% in Watsonville. Watsonville has a public transit of 1.4% compared to 1.1% in Colton.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
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.