City · Santa Cruz County, California

Capitola, California

Capitola is a city in Santa Cruz County, California, part of the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area. It has 9,689 residents. Capitola, California has a quality-of-life score of 79 out of 100 (high), ranking #3,328 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within California it ranks #108 of 1,062 cities and towns. It ranks best on comfortable days (high), mental health providers (high) and drought exposure (low). It ranks worst on home price to income ratio (high), students per teacher (high) and natural hazard risk (high).

79High

Quality-of-life score: #3,328 of 15,651 cities and towns
California: #108 of 1,062 in CA
Population: 9,689 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 6,076.8 /mi²
FIPS code: 0611040

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 76 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety54#7,138/15,637
Economy63#5,788/15,631
Housing37#9,429/14,977
Health79#3,209/15,609
Healthcare92#1,241/15,650
Environment97#479/15,453
Education17#13,035/15,649
Infrastructure77#3,580/15,650
Community63#5,767/15,651
Leisure & amenities94#964/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Capitola, California ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Santa Cruz County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Comfortable days · high57.3%
100/100California 34.8%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationSanta Cruz County value
Mental health providers · high977 /100k
99/100California 487 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSanta Cruz County value
Drought exposure · low0%
98/100California 9%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAASanta Cruz County value
Gyms and fitness centers · high2.3 /10k
96/100California 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSanta Cruz County value
Access to exercise opportunities · high98.3%
93/100California 94.3%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSanta Cruz County value
Life expectancy · high81.6 yrs
93/100California 79.7 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSanta Cruz County value

Weaknesses

Home price to income ratio · high7.6×
4/100California 7.4×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Students per teacher · high21.2×
5/100California 21.7×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsSanta Cruz County value
Natural hazard risk · high91.8
8/100California 87.32025Federal Emergency Management AgencySanta Cruz County value
High school diploma or higher · low91.6%
9/100California 84.7%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Math scores · low2.63
10/100California 2.79United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSanta Cruz County value
Reading scores · low2.75
12/100California 2.91United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSanta Cruz County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

New homes permittedWorsening
0.4 /1k (2021) → 0.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
34.2% (2015-2019) → 47.9% (2020-2024)
+14 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Child poverty rateImproving
27.5% (2015-2019) → 14.6% (2020-2024)
−13 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
52.0% (2015-2019) → 41.7% (2020-2024)
−10 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$71,059 (2015-2019) → $102,976 (2020-2024)
+45%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
86.1% (2015-2019) → 94.5% (2020-2024)
+8.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Capitola, California improved on 3 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved3

Bachelor's++14 points34.2% → 47.9%
Household income+45%$71,059 → $102,976
Broadband+8.4 points86.1% → 94.5%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Capitola, California between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	24.6 min2015-2019	23.4 min2020-2024	−1.2 min	Within the margin of error	62%
Bachelor's degree or higher	34.2%2015-2019	47.9%2020-2024	+14 points	Improved	96%
Broadband subscriptions	86.1%2015-2019	94.5%2020-2024	+8.4 points	Improved	51%
Effective property tax rate	0.68%2015-2019	0.63%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	25%
High school diploma or higher	92.0%2015-2019	91.6%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Home price to income ratio	10.2×2015-2019	7.6×2020-2024	−2.6×	Within the margin of error	100%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4602015-2019	0.4712020-2024	+0.011	Within the margin of error	41%
Median household income	$71,0592015-2019	$102,9762020-2024	+45%	Improved	80%
Poverty rate	15.9%2015-2019	12.9%2020-2024	−3 points	Within the margin of error	70%
Rent as share of income	30.7%2015-2019	28.2%2020-2024	−2.5 points	Within the margin of error	72%
Rent-burdened households	52.0%2015-2019	41.7%2020-2024	−10 points	Within the margin of error	83%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.6%2015-2019	5.5%2020-2024	−4.1 points	Within the margin of error	83%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Capitola, California five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Capitola, California in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Capitola, California itself moved +7.7 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

9,689 residents (±63)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

4,564 households (±270)

Capitola, California
California share

Under $25k11%491
$25k–50k9.7%†443
$50k–75k11%†501

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

4,564 households (±270)

Capitola, California
California share

Own52%2,381
Rent48%2,183

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

4,852 workers (±458)

Capitola, California
California share

Drive alone53%2,564
Carpool7.1%†343
Public transit1.1%†53

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Santa Cruz County, the county holding most of Capitola's residents.

Santa Cruz County has 7,136 employer establishments, 271 for every 10,000 residents (1.09× the US rate of 248; 1.03× California's), with 80,209 paid employees at an average annual pay of $61,778. The Census Bureau also counts 23,111 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 7,136; 23,111 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 271; US 248 · California 263
Paid employees: 80,209
Average annual pay: $61,778; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Santa Cruz County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	625	23.7	1.14×About typical	6,025	$89,700	1,585
Restaurants and other eating places	553	21	1.14×About typical	9,801	$28,615	76
Specialty trade contractors	518	19.7	1.27×More than typical	2,941	$72,550	998
Lessors of real estate	384	14.6	1.18×About typical	1,416	$58,233	2,324
Construction of buildings	355	13.5	1.78×More than typical	1,247	$67,773	828
Full-service restaurants	235	8.9	1.16×About typical	4,675	$30,582	24
Services to buildings and dwellings	228	8.7	1.28×More than typical	2,198	$61,437	1,095
Management, scientific and technical consulting	223	8.5	1.26×More than typical	743	$88,795	1,323
Offices of other health practitioners	213	8.1	1.33×More than typical	882	$42,553	1,072
Limited-service restaurants	206	7.8	0.98×About typical	3,656	$28,227	23
Building equipment contractors	200	7.6	1.26×More than typical	1,228	$78,393	242
Offices of physicians	190	7.2	1.11×About typical	2,174	$129,821	218

Rank places for an industry Open Santa Cruz County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 263,322 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $114.7K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Capitola, California: $11.83 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $114.7K; −50% vs FY2025
Per resident: $11.83; US $1,994
Sole-source: 17%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.1%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

111.9KFY2017
111KFY2018
101.9KFY2019
83.1KFY2020
235.2KFY2021
436.2KFY2022
116.6KFY2023
-142.9KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Facilities support services · 5612$70.6K62%
Communications equipment manufacturing · 3342$20.2K18%
Community food and housing, and emergency and other relief services · 6242$16K14%
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$6,6515.8%
Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) · 6231$1,5841.4%
Engine, turbine, and power transmission equipment manufacturing · 3336

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Capitola, California

CAPITOLA CBOC AND SANTA CRUZ VET CENTER JANITORIAL SERVICES AND SUPPLIES$140.4K
NINETY FIVE SOUTH, INC· Santa Cruz County, CA· Facilities & utilities· Jan 30, 2025 – Mar 26, 2026· 36C26125F0174

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Capitola, California, so they do not add up across cities.

Capitola, California's figures are part of those of Santa Cruz County, CA ($41.3M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.3% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Capitola is mostly in Santa Cruz County.

See federal money in Santa Cruz County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Capitola, California is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Santa Cruz County79100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA89

Other cities and towns in Santa Cruz County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/0611040

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends