2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Santa Cruz, CA vs Albany, NY

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Highlights
- Household income in Albany, is 45% less than it is in Santa Cruz and is 31% below the National Average.
- Santa Cruz unemployment rate is 4.5%.
- Albany unemployment rate is 7.1%.
 Santa Cruz, CAAlbany, NYUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock7.1%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock0.5%1.6%
 Future Job Growth33.8%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes9.3%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock6.2%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$46,720  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$52,583$69,021
 Family Median Income$145,326  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Santa Cruz, CAAlbany, NYUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock16.0%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K3.6%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock9.1%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K5.9%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock9.6%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K3.8%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock9.1%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K9.2%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock13.9%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K11.5%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock5.1%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Santa Cruz, CAAlbany, NYUnited States
 Management, business, finance17.4%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock7.6%6.5%
 Community, social services2.9%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock1.7%1.2%
 Education, library10.1%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock2.4%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology6.3%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock5.6%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement1.3%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock5.7%5.4%
 Building maintenance2.2%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock3.6%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support18.1%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.0%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair3.3%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock7.2%13.1%
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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Reviews for Albany    56 Reviews

Over 3 years ago

I live relatively close to Albany, and I gotta say, its a great city. I think it has a lot of good places for food, good living spaces, nice jobs and offices, and I  More

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Over 5 years ago

I’ve lived just outside of Albany in Clifton Park and its always been decent for me. The town is nice and theres a lot to do. The prices are a little expensive including  More

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Over 5 years ago

Good place to retire. Walkable. Young people. Buses. Sidewalks. Feel safe here in Whitehall neighborhood. Plenty to do. Taxes in ny are high,but you get what you pay  More

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