262,406 people (2024 Census estimate, −3.4% since 2020)
445 square miles of land · 590 people per square mile
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
52 active community water systems list Santa Cruz County in the area they serve, reporting 252,371 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| SANTA CRUZ WATER DEPARTMENT surface water · local government · CA4410010 | 94,626 served |
| WATSONVILLE, CITY OF surface water · local government · CA4410011 | 65,231 served |
| SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT buys surface water · local government · CA4410017 | 40,962 served |
| SAN LORENZO VALLEY WATER DIST surface water · local government · CA4410014 | 21,513 served |
| SCOTTS VALLEY WATER DISTRICT groundwater · local government · CA4410013 | 11,197 served |
| SLVWD - FELTON WATER SYSTEM surface water · private · CA4410002 | 4,491 served |
| CENTRAL WATER DISTRICT groundwater · local government · CA4410018 | 2,726 served |
| MISSION SPRINGS CONFERENCE CENTER groundwater · private · CA4400723 | 1,310 served |
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.
About 289 people were held in Santa Cruz County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2025). In 2020 it was about 314.
Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.
13 school districts have their office in Santa Cruz County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $386.1 million — $354.6 million to run schools, about $20,320 per student, plus $20.3 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $118.5 million local (mostly property tax), $280.4 million state, $58.1 million federal. Long-term debt: $187.3 million.
Spent $133.3 million — $109.9 million to run schools, about $17,957 per student, plus $15.3 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $106.7 million local (mostly property tax), $38.3 million state, $9.5 million federal. Long-term debt: $217.1 million.
Spent $1.3 million — $1.3 million to run schools, about $303 per student. Money in: $710,000 local (mostly property tax), $902,000 state, $48,000 federal.
Spent $53.3 million — $33.9 million to run schools, about $14,213 per student, plus $15.7 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $35.6 million local (mostly property tax), $25 million state, $2.7 million federal. Long-term debt: $63.6 million.
Spent $33.9 million — $31.1 million to run schools, about $14,354 per student, plus $1.4 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $24.4 million local (mostly property tax), $14.5 million state, $2.8 million federal. Long-term debt: $42.6 million.
Spent $34.8 million — $31.9 million to run schools, about $18,840 per student, plus $1.1 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $14.8 million local (mostly property tax), $20.1 million state, $4.7 million federal. Long-term debt: $21.3 million.
Spent $31.1 million — $25.6 million to run schools, about $15,473 per student, plus $3.9 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $21.5 million local (mostly property tax), $14.6 million state, $2.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $44.2 million.
Spent $72.2 million — $50.5 million to run schools, about $47,221 per student, plus $394,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $28.8 million local (mostly property tax), $38.9 million state, $12.4 million federal. Long-term debt: $7.4 million.
And 5 more.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Relatively High compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Santa Cruz County about $335.4 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively High; social vulnerability: Relatively Low.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
194 bridges in Santa Cruz County: 79 in good condition, 83 fair, and 32 poor (16.5%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
| STATE ROUTE 1 NB over STATE ROUTE 17 · built 1958 | 30,000 vehicles a day |
| STATE ROUTE 1 SB over S17-OCEAN OFF OCEAN-N17 · built 1956 | 30,000 vehicles a day |
| MURRAY-EATON ST over WOODS LAGOON · built 1963 | 25,000 vehicles a day |
| STOCKTON AVE over SOQUEL CREEK · built 1934 | 15,000 vehicles a day |
| PORTER STREET over SOQUEL CREEK · built 1994 | 11,200 vehicles a day |
| GRANITE CREEK ROAD over STATE ROUTE 17 · built 1961 | 10,900 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $213 million of work in Santa Cruz County in fiscal 2025, about $786 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.
General election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Ballots mailed; drop boxes open: 2026-10-05. Last day to register to vote: 2026-10-19. Early in-person voting: 2026-10-24 to 2026-11-03. Election Day: 2026-11-03. Last day for mailed ballots to arrive: 2026-11-10.
Source: California Secretary of State — Nov. 3, 2026 key dates · California Official Voter Information Guide — dates to remember · California Secretary of State — make a plan to vote
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Santa Cruz County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have Santa Cruz County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of California: the state government and every county in California.
Nearby counties: Santa Clara County (23 mi) · San Mateo County (34 mi) · Alameda County (44 mi) · San Benito County (58 mi) · Contra Costa County (63 mi) · Monterey County (66 mi).