2026 Compare Cities Economy:
San Marcos, CA vs Scotts Valley, CA

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Highlights
- Household income in Scotts Valley, is 26% more than it is in San Marcos and is 40% above the National Average.
- San Marcos unemployment rate is 5.9%.
- Scotts Valley unemployment rate is 8.1%.
 San Marcos, CAScotts Valley, CAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock8.1%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock1.8%1.6%
 Future Job Growth38.4%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes7.8%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock8.0%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$39,122  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$114,504$69,021
 Family Median Income$110,202  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 San Marcos, CAScotts Valley, CAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock5.9%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K2.4%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock1.2%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K7.2%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock3.2%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K4.1%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock7.5%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K11.6%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock15.5%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K13.6%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock24.5%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 San Marcos, CAScotts Valley, CAUnited States
 Management, business, finance20.2%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock16.0%6.5%
 Community, social services1.3%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock1.2%1.2%
 Education, library5.5%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock3.9%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology4.6%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock3.4%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement1.6%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock3.9%5.4%
 Building maintenance5.1%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock1.7%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support20.1%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.0%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair7.3%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock5.3%13.1%
Reviews for San Marcos    5 Reviews

Just an amazing place to live. I have lived in 7 states and almost countless cities. Sam Marcos is one of the best. This is literally the longest place I have lived  More

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Over 16 years ago

Is this area to expensive for the average income retired  More

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Over 19 years ago

Beautiful Mediterranean climate with bright sunshine and ocean breazes. City is just 15 minutes away from the  More

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Reviews for Scotts Valley    4 Reviews

Over 3 years ago

We lived and worked in Scotts Valley for a number of years. It's a nice enough city, safe and clean unlike some areas of Santa Cruz. It's well managed and the schools  More

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Over 8 years ago

Great weather and small town feel but it is changing rapidly  More

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Over 12 years ago

Scotts Valley is an ideal, small town with many wonderful features. It's just 10 minutes from the beaches in nearby Santa Cruz yet doesn't get the wet fog because it's  More

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