How many people live in Santa Cruz County, CA?
Updated Apr. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
In 2024, there were about 262,400 people living in Santa Cruz County, CA. That makes Santa Cruz County the 25th-most populous county in California. It is home to 0.67% of people living in the state.
262K
population of Santa Cruz County, CA (2024)
0.67%
County share of the California population (2024)
About 262,400 people lived in Santa Cruz County, CA in 2024.
Population estimates, 2000–2024
What are Santa Cruz County, CA’s age demographics?
About 53,400 Santa Cruz County residents are aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 20.3% of its population. For comparison, the age group represents 16.6% of California’s population and 18% in the US overall.
Another 46,200 Santa Cruz County, CA residents, or 17.6% of the population, were children under 18. For comparison, the age group represents 21.4% of California’s population and 21.6% in the US overall.
A higher share of Santa Cruz County, CA's population is aged 18–24 than the US as a whole.
Population estimates by age group, (2024)
What are Santa Cruz County, CA’s racial and ethnic demographics?
Hispanic residents make up 35.5% of the Santa Cruz County, CA population, higher than the national share of 20%. Santa Cruz County, CA also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic two or more races (3.2%) than the US overall (2.5%).
In contrast, Santa Cruz County’s non-Hispanic Black or African American population accounts for 1%, below the 12.6% nationwide, and the non-Hispanic white population makes up 54.5% of the county, compared with 57.5% nationally.
Racial and ethnic make up differ based on location. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate out Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census reporting standards.
Santa Cruz County, CA has a higher share of a non-Hispanic white population than California as a whole.
Population estimates by race and ethnicity, (2024)
The largest city or town in Santa Cruz County, CA is Santa Cruz with about 62,600 residents in 2024.
Cities and towns in Santa Cruz County, CA ranked by population
Population (2024), includes only portions within county
| City or town | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Santa Cruz | 62,581 |
| 2. | Watsonville | 51,320 |
| 3. | Scotts Valley | 11,828 |
| 4. | Capitola | 9,503 |
| 5. | Balance of Santa Cruz County | 127,174 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
