2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Santa Cruz, CA vs Newport Beach, CA

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Highlights
- Household income in Newport Beach, is 48% more than it is in Santa Cruz and is 52% above the National Average.
- Santa Cruz unemployment rate is 4.5%.
- Newport Beach unemployment rate is 5.0%.
 Santa Cruz, CANewport Beach, CAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock5.0%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock0.6%1.6%
 Future Job Growth33.8%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes9.3%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock8.0%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$46,720  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$142,463$69,021
 Family Median Income$145,326  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Santa Cruz, CANewport Beach, CAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock5.7%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K3.6%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock4.8%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K5.9%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock3.1%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K3.8%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock4.2%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K9.2%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock15.9%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K11.5%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock36.9%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Santa Cruz, CANewport Beach, CAUnited States
 Management, business, finance17.4%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock6.3%6.5%
 Community, social services2.9%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock4.8%1.2%
 Education, library10.1%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock4.6%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology6.3%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock1.2%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement1.3%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock3.1%5.4%
 Building maintenance2.2%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock2.3%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  Unlock2.5%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 Newport Beach    21 Reviews

I've lived here since late 2014. It's pretty on the outside and ugly on the inside. The people are hyper conservative, aggressively competitive. It's all about money and  More

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Over 8 years ago

I love calling Newport Beach my home. Every time I return from travel, I can feel the stress leave my body the minute I see the Ocean. I sell real estate in Newport  More

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Over 10 years ago

I currently reside on Balboa Island in Newport Beach, Ca. I grew up in Newport on the peninsula point near the wedge. I still visit the wedge but going to that area in  More

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