2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Federal Way, WA vs Santa Cruz, CA

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Highlights
- Household income in Santa Cruz, is 32% more than it is in Federal Way and is 28% above the National Average.
- Federal Way unemployment rate is 7.1%.
- Santa Cruz unemployment rate is 4.5%.
 Federal Way, WASanta Cruz, CAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock4.5%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock1.8%1.6%
 Future Job Growth39.7%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes10.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock8.0%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$34,474  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$96,217$69,021
 Family Median Income$85,369  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Federal Way, WASanta Cruz, CAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock10.7%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K2.8%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock7.9%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K6.7%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock4.6%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K6.4%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock6.1%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K12.7%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock16.1%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K8.8%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock20.7%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Federal Way, WASanta Cruz, CAUnited States
 Management, business, finance15.1%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock12.2%6.5%
 Community, social services1.7%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock0.7%1.2%
 Education, library4.3%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock4.3%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology3.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock1.9%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement1.5%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock9.9%5.4%
 Building maintenance4.8%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock3.3%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support20.4%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.9%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair9.5%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock5.2%13.1%
Reviews for Federal Way    14 Reviews

Over 6 years ago

A suburb of The Emerald City (Seattle, WA), Federal Way has become yet another go-to place for affluent travelers and transplants from states all over the nation. The  More

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I want to move my family to austin i havent bin there but we want some ware housing is affortable i have four boys age 6,3,2 and a baby of 2 months and ware theres jobs  More

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I have lived in Brooklyn NY, West Palm Beach & Port St Lucie, FL and now Federal Way, WA. While the cost of living here is higher than Florida, it is definitely lower  More

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Reviews for Santa Cruz    44 Reviews

I lived in the Santa Cruz area for 20 years. UCSC alum. Our kids were born there. There are wonderful things about Santa Cruz, but also many serious problems that we  More

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Over 5 years ago

I have been here for four generations! My kids are the fifth. I guess that should tell you how wonderful it is here, at least for us. It's so cool to have world class  More

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I was born over the hill in San Jose area, and as a kid I loved coming over to the boardwalk. Santa Cruz has always been and always will be a town of diversity,  More

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