Census-designated place · Santa Cruz County, California

Felton, California

Felton is a census-designated place in Santa Cruz County, California, part of the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area. It has 4,093 residents. Felton, California has a quality-of-life score of 80 out of 100 (very high), ranking #3,116 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within California it ranks #97 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).

80Very high

Quality-of-life score: #3,116 of 15,651 cities and towns
California: #97 of 1,062 in CA
Population: 4,093 (2020-2024)
Land area: 5 mi²
Density: 882.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 0623826

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 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
Economy91#1,441/15,631
Housing6#14,028/14,977
Health89#1,773/15,609
Healthcare96#602/15,650
Environment97#479/15,453
Education22#12,221/15,649
Infrastructure69#4,898/15,650
Community65#5,433/15,651
Leisure & amenities94#964/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Felton, 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
Physical inactivity · low14.2%
97/100California 23.5%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Adult obesity · low23.8%
96/100California 30.4%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Gyms and fitness centers · high2.3 /10k
96/100California 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSanta Cruz County value

Weaknesses

Home price to income ratio · high7.3×
5/100California 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
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
High school diploma or higher · low97.4%
14/100California 84.7%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Trends

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

PopulationRising
3,633 (2015-2019) → 4,093 (2020-2024)
+13%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Home price to income ratioWorsening
5.8× (2015-2019) → 7.3× (2020-2024)
+26%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
6.3% (2015-2019) → 1.2% (2020-2024)
−5.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
56.1% (2015-2019) → 61.1% (2020-2024)
+5.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Unemployment rateImproving
6.4% (2015-2019) → 3.0% (2020-2024)
−3.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Average commute timeImproving
30.6 min (2015-2019) → 26.4 min (2020-2024)
−14%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min

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, Felton, California improved on 0 of 10 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 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.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined1

Price / income+1.5×5.8× → 7.3×

All 10 measures

Change of every measure of Felton, California between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	30.6 min2015-2019	26.4 min2020-2024	−4.2 min	Within the margin of error	87%
Bachelor's degree or higher	56.1%2015-2019	61.1%2020-2024	+5.1 points	Within the margin of error	68%
Broadband subscriptions	94.6%2015-2019	95.0%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	10%
Effective property tax rate	0.85%2015-2019	0.80%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	24%
High school diploma or higher	97.7%2015-2019	97.4%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Home price to income ratio	5.8×2015-2019	7.3×2020-2024	+1.5×	Declined	9%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3992015-2019	0.3942020-2024	−0.005	Within the margin of error	55%
Median household income	$109,1002015-2019	$123,0562020-2024	+13%	Within the margin of error	20%
Rent as share of income	30.0%2015-2019	29.3%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	61%
Rent-burdened households	50.0%2015-2019	47.3%2020-2024	−2.7 points	Within the margin of error	65%

“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 Felton, California five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Felton, 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, Felton, California itself moved +1 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

4,093 residents (±562)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 70–79 men (+4.0 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

4,093 residents (±562)

Felton, California
California share

White70%2,882
Black0.1%†6
Hispanic or Latino14%†561

Education

3,063 residents (±391)

Felton, California
California share

No high school diploma2.6%†79
High school or GED13%†391
Some college19%†

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

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

Household income

1,748 households (±202)

Felton, California
California share

Under $25k5.1%†89
$25k–50k7.4%†129
$50k–75k9.3%†163
$75k–100k15%†254
$100k–150k24%†414
$150k–200k9.7%†169
$200k or more30%†530

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+17.3 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,748 households (±202)

Felton, California
California share

Own77%1,338
Rent23%†410

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

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

410 households (±139)

Felton, California
California share

Under $7509.3%†38
$750–1,0000.0%0
$1,000–1,5001.7%†7

Home values

1,338 homes (±206)

Felton, California
California share

Under $150k2.8%†37
$150k–250k0.0%0
$250k–400k7.2%†97

Age of homes

1,833 homes (±199)

Felton, California
California share

2010 or later5.8%†107
2000–20093.5%†64
1980–19997.0%†128

Size of homes

1,833 homes (±199)

Felton, California
California share

Studio5.9%†109
1 bedroom15%†277
2 bedrooms36%668

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

2,178 workers (±405)

Felton, California
California share

Drive alone67%1,468
Carpool2.6%†57
Public transit0.0%0
Walk1.6%†35
Bike0.1%†3
Work from home24%†529
Other3.9%†86

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+15.6 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,649 workers (±333)

Felton, California
California share

Under 15 min20%†322
15–29 min38%†619
30–44 min24%†403

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

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 Felton'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 $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Felton, California: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

6.2KFY2017
-6.2KFY2018
432.1KFY2019
16.8KFY2020
0FY2021
443KFY2023
-4.5KFY2024
0FY2025

What was bought

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 Felton, California, so they do not add up across cities.

Felton, California's figures are part of those of Santa Cruz County, CA ($41.3M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Felton 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.

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