Population
Watsonville
51,968
Palmdale
165,487
Median Income
Watsonville
$74,785
Palmdale
$81,151
Home Value
Watsonville
$657,700
Palmdale
$435,300
Rent
Watsonville
$1,784
Palmdale
$1,736
Crime Rate
Watsonville
3.99
Palmdale
5.51
Cost of Living
Watsonville
159.7
Palmdale
153.4
Avg Temp
Watsonville
N/A
Palmdale
N/A
Unemployment
Watsonville
7.8%
Palmdale
7.4%
How Similar Are Watsonville & Palmdale?
Palmdale is Watsonville's #24 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Watsonville
51,968
Palmdale
165,487
Palmdale (165,487) is about 3.2x larger than Watsonville (51,968).
Violent Crime
Watsonville
3.99
Palmdale
5.51
Palmdale has a 28% higher violent crime than Watsonville.
Property Crime
Watsonville
11.82
Palmdale
18.65
Palmdale has a 37% higher property crime than Watsonville.
Political Leaning
Watsonville
20.9%
Palmdale
31.9%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Palmdale has a stronger Democratic lean (35% difference).
Unemployment
Watsonville
7.8%
Palmdale
7.4%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 6% difference.
Median Income
Watsonville
$74,785
Palmdale
$81,151
Both cities have similar median income — just a 8% difference.
Home Values
Watsonville
$657,700
Palmdale
$435,300
Watsonville has a 34% higher home values than Palmdale.
Education
Watsonville
7.6%
Palmdale
10.2%
Palmdale has a 25% higher education than Watsonville.
Demographics
Watsonville
30.0%
Palmdale
31.8%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 6% difference.
Cost of Living
Watsonville
159.7
Palmdale
153.4
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Watsonville and Palmdale share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Watsonville
0
Palmdale
Palmdale leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Palmdale leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDPalmdale has a fair market rent (2br) of $2,601 vs $4,214 in Watsonville (62% lower). Palmdale has a fair market rent (1br) of $2,085 vs $3,298 in Watsonville (58% lower). Watsonville scores 114.3 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 152.6 in Palmdale.
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 — Palmdale leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSWatsonville has a median home value of $657,700 vs $435,300 in Palmdale (51% higher). Palmdale has a owner-occupied of 66.2% compared to 43.6% in Watsonville. Palmdale has a single-family homes of 80.3% compared to 62.7% in Watsonville.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Palmdale leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSPalmdale: 75,364 vs Watsonville: 24,126 for labor force. Palmdale has a work from home of 8.3% compared to 6.0% in Watsonville. Watsonville has a government sector of 45.9% compared to 41.3% in Palmdale.
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 murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.06 in Palmdale. Watsonville has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.54 compared to 1.52 in Palmdale. Watsonville has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.39 compared to 2.51 in Palmdale.
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 — Palmdale leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauPalmdale has a bachelor's degree or higher of 10.2% compared to 7.6% in Watsonville. Palmdale has a high school diploma or higher of 29.0% 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 ACSPalmdale has a population of 165,487, about 3.2x the size of Watsonville (51,968).
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Watsonville
Palmdale
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital ComparePalmdale: 4 vs Watsonville: 3 for with emergency services. Watsonville: 3.0 vs Palmdale: 2.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Palmdale leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSPalmdale has a work from home of 8.3% compared to 6.0% in Watsonville. Watsonville has a public transit of 1.4% compared to 1.3% in Palmdale. Palmdale has a drive alone of 74.0% compared to 70.1% in Watsonville.
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.