2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Santa Cruz, CA vs Sonoma, CA

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Highlights
- Household income in Sonoma, is 4% less than it is in Santa Cruz and is 25% above the National Average.
- Santa Cruz unemployment rate is 4.5%.
- Sonoma unemployment rate is 6.0%.
 Santa Cruz, CASonoma, CAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock6.0%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock1.7%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$92,078$69,021
 Family Median Income$145,326  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Santa Cruz, CASonoma, CAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock8.5%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K3.6%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock3.9%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K5.9%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock5.6%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K3.8%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock6.5%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K9.2%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock15.8%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K11.5%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock18.3%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Santa Cruz, CASonoma, CAUnited States
 Management, business, finance17.4%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock8.6%6.5%
 Community, social services2.9%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock0.8%1.2%
 Education, library10.1%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock3.6%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology6.3%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock2.9%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement1.3%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock4.3%5.4%
 Building maintenance2.2%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock5.2%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support18.1%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.4%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair3.3%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock5.2%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 Sonoma    12 Reviews

Over 12 years ago

I love Sonoma. Moved here from Texas and I can't wait to live in this small town with country living all around. I hate all the drama and crime in Vallejo. I live in  More

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I have lived in Sonoma for 3 years now. I relocated after a brief stint in Salt Lake City but lived in San Francisco for 30 years before that. If you like small town  More

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The best aspects of living in Sonoma County,CA: Air quality is best that one can ask for and there is no severe weather. No hazardous weather driving or walking  More

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