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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Santa Cruz, CA

Population: 61,367 (2022) · Small Cities (50K–100K)

C
55/100

Average fiscal health — some areas of concern

Total Spending
$8.5B
Per Capita
$138,595
Total Revenue
$3.4B
Total Debt
$0

Spending Breakdown

Other
43.5%$3.7B
Utilities
23.4%$2.0B
Public Welfare
8.2%$694.8M
Education
6.6%$561.0M
Housing & Community Development
5.6%$480.0M
Police
5.2%$440.5M
Fire Protection
4.1%$346.6M
Parks & Recreation
1.6%$136.8M
Sewerage
1.1%$93.4M
Health
0.8%$65.2M

Spending data sourced from the Census Bureau's Annual Survey of State & Local Government Finances. Per-capita comparisons use the Lincoln Institute's Fiscally Standardized Cities methodology for fair cross-city benchmarking.

Revenue Sources

Property Tax
1.6%$53.5M
Sales Tax
0.5%$15.6M
Income Tax
14.3%$492.3M
Intergovernmental
10.0%$346.0M
Charges & Fees
0.1%$2.6M
Other
41.4%$1.4B

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police$7,178/person
Fire Protection$5,649/person
Parks & Recreation$2,230/person
Education$9,141/person
Health$1,062/person

Score Breakdown

Budget Balance & Reserves (25%)24/100
Debt Burden (20%)100/100
Pension Funding (20%)76/100
Spending Efficiency (15%)0/100
Revenue Diversity (10%)83/100
Trend Direction (10%)50/100

Compare Cities

See how Santa Cruz stacks up against another city.

vs Los Angeles, CAvs San Diego, CAvs San Jose, CA
Data source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023). Population from American Community Survey.

Other Cities in California

Los Angeles, CA

Pop. 3.9M

D
Total Spending
$331.6B
Per Capita
$85,432

San Diego, CA

Pop. 1.4M

C
Total Spending
$59.9B
Per Capita
$43,306

San Jose, CA

Pop. 1.0M

A
Total Spending
$18.0B
Per Capita
$17,934

San Francisco, CA

Pop. 851K

D
Total Spending
$156.7B
Per Capita
$184,131

Compare Santa Cruz With

Los Angeles, CA

Spending: $85,432/person · Grade: D

San Diego, CA

Spending: $43,306/person · Grade: C

San Jose, CA

Spending: $17,934/person · Grade: A

San Francisco, CA

Spending: $184,131/person · Grade: D

Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Cruz, CA spends $138,595 per resident, based on total expenditures of $8.5B for a population of 61,367. The city has a Fiscal Health Score of C (55/100).

Santa Cruz, CA has total expenditures of $8.5B and total revenue of $3.4B. The city carries $0 in total debt, based on Census Bureau data from 2023.

Santa Cruz, CA employs 0 government workers, of which 0 are full-time. The average government salary is $0, with 0.0 employees per 10,000 residents.

Santa Cruz, CA has a Fiscal Health Score of C (55/100). This score evaluates budget balance, debt burden, pension funding, spending efficiency, revenue diversity, and 3-year fiscal trajectory compared to peer cities of similar population.

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