| | Santa Cruz, CA | Laguna Niguel, CA | United States |
| Population | 62,714 | 64,608 | 329,725,481 |
| Female Population | 50.9% | 51.6% | 50.5% |
| Male Population | 49.1% | 48.4% | 49.5% |
| Median Age | 29 | 47.2 | 38.4 |
| space3 | | | |
| Population - 2010 | 60,593 | 63,064 | 309,327,143 |
| Population - 2000 | 54,593 | 61,891 | 285,036,114 |
| Population - 1990 | 49,040 | 44,400 | 251,960,433 |
| Pop. 2000 to Now | 17.8% | 4.3% | 15.6% |
| Pop. 1990 to Now | 31.2% | 45.4% | 30.8% |
| space4 | | | |
| Population Density | 4,922.6 | 4,382.9 | 93.4 |
| Land Area | 12.7 | 14.7 | 3,531,905.4 |
| Water Area | 3.1 | 0.1 | 264,836.8 |
| space | | | |
| Est. Total Population By Age | | | |
| | Santa Cruz, CA | Laguna Niguel, CA | United States |
| Age 0 to 4 | 3.1% | 3.9% | 5.9% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 3.3% | 5.2% | 6.1% |
| Age 10 to 14 | 3.5% | 5.6% | 6.6% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 2.6% | 2.9% | 3.9% |
| Age 18 to 20 | 17.7% | 3.7% | 4.0% |
| Age 21 to 24 | 13.9% | 4.2% | 5.2% |
| Age 25 to 34 | 12.7% | 11.2% | 13.8% |
| Age 35 to 44 | 10.2% | 11.0% | 12.9% |
| Age 45 to 54 | 10.5% | 13.8% | 12.6% |
| Age 55 to 59 | 5.1% | 8.9% | 6.7% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 5.0% | 10.1% | 6.3% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 8.3% | 12.4% | 9.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 2.7% | 5.1% | 4.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 1.4% | 2.0% | 1.9% |
| space1 | | | |
| Race | | | |
| | Santa Cruz, CA | Laguna Niguel, CA | United States |
| White | 60.8% | 65.2% | 59.4% |
| Black | 1.8% | 1.4% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 10.6% | 11.2% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.6% |
| Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.4% |
| Two or More Races | 5.1% | 6.0% | 3.2% |
| Hispanic | 21.1% | 15.5% | 18.4% |
| space2 | | | |
| Marriage & Family | | | |
| | Santa Cruz, CA | Laguna Niguel, CA | United States |
| Married Population | 31.9% | 58.7% | 49.8% |
| Currently Married | 30.8% | 57.9% | 48.0% |
| Married but Separated | 1.1% | 0.8% | 1.8% |
| Single Population | 68.1% | 41.3% | 50.2% |
| Never Married | 57.2% | 25.7% | 33.8% |
| Divorced | 8.7% | 11.1% | 10.8% |
| Widowed | 2.2% | 4.4% | 5.6% |
| space5 | | | |
| Household Size | 2.37 | 2.53 | 2.60 |
| Households | 22,067 | 25,361 | 124,010,992 |
| Family Households | 10,409 | 18,065 | 80,755,759 |
| Married couple, w/children | 29.8% | 27.2% | 30.5% |
| Married couple, no children | 48.8% | 54.0% | 42.9% |
| Non Family Households | 11,658 | 7,296 | 43,255,233 |
| Single householder, w/children | 13.2% | 7.8% | 15.8% |
| Single householder, no children | 8.2% | 11.0% | 10.8% |