Is Santa Cruz County, CA's population growing or shrinking?
Updated annually
It shrank by 1,300 between 2023 and 2024. Changes in population reflect birth and death rates, immigration patterns, regional shifts, and even the overall health of the economy. Santa Cruz County, CA’s 0.49% annual decrease was primarily driven by people moving to other states.
In the decade between 2014 and 2024, Santa Cruz County, CA’s population shrank by 3.1%.
-1.29K
population change (2023 to 2024)
-0.49%
percent change in population (2023 to 2024)
Since 2000, Santa Cruz County, CA’s population increased 12 out of 24 years. The largest increase occurred between 2009 and 2010, when Santa Cruz County, CA gained 7,500 residents. Its largest decline occurred between 2020 and 2021 when there were 10,900 fewer residents.
Santa Cruz County, CA lost 1,300 residents between 2023 and 2024.
Annual population change
A county’s population is influenced by three factors:
- Natural population change: If births outnumber deaths in a given year, natural population growth is positive. If deaths exceed births, it is negative. Between 2023 and 2024 natural population change was positive in Santa Cruz County, CA, with births exceeding deaths by 284.
- Immigration: international migration directly into or out of a county: If more people move in than move out, population change from immigration is positive. If more people move out than move in, it’s negative. Between 2023 to 2024, Santa Cruz County, CA’s population change from immigration was positive with about 1,200 more people coming from another country directly to Santa Cruz County, CA than leaving.
- Domestic migration, moving between counties: Between 2023 to 2024, Santa Cruz County, CA’s population change from domestic migration was negative with about 2,800 more people moving to any other county in the US.
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Between 2023 and 2024, domestic migration was the primary driver of population decline in Santa Cruz County, CA.
Components of population change
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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.
