Santa Cruz County growth
470 new homes permitted in 2025
Census Building Permits Survey, 2025
New homes permitted in Santa Cruz County
Housing units the county's permit offices authorized, by year, from the Census Bureau.
| Period | New homes | In single-family homes |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Sep 2026 | 471 | 150 |
| Jan–Sep 2025 | 332 | 124 |
| 2025 | 470 | 163 |
| 2024 | 259 | 189 |
| 2023 | 540 | 242 |
| 2022 | 608 | 403 |
| 2021 | 598 | 304 |
| 2020 | 244 | 173 |
| 2019 | 429 | 236 |
New homes permitted each month, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026
People in Santa Cruz County
- Population258,852Census Population Estimates · July 1, 2025
- Change since 2020−12,906 (−4.7%)July 1, 2020 to July 1, 2025 · Census Population Estimates
- New homes per 1,000 residents1.82025 permits per 1,000 people on July 1, 2025 · Census
- Median household income$111,0932020-2024 · Census ACS 5-year, ±$2,734
Jobs in Santa Cruz County
- Jobs in the county104,438Annual average 2025, all industries, by place of work · BLS QCEW
- Change since 2020+7,198 (+7.4%)2020 to 2025 annual averages · BLS QCEW
- Average weekly wage$1,3492025, all industries · BLS QCEW
Home values in Santa Cruz County
Change in the price of homes sold or refinanced more than once (the FHFA repeat-sales index).
- Home prices, 1 year0%2024 to 2025 · FHFA House Price Index
- Home prices, 5 years+30%2020 to 2025 · FHFA House Price Index
Land in Santa Cruz County
Our own figures from the county roll and the county's recorded sales.
- Vacant land10,460 vacant-coded on the county rollCounty roll · Oct 11, 2026
Growth in nearby counties
Monterey CountySan Benito CountySan Mateo CountySanta Clara County
More
California growth by countyThe data (CSV, JSON)Santa Cruz County overview
About these numbersSources, dates and how these figures are built
New homes
U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2019-01 to 2026-09; annual files 2019-2025, posted May 14, 2026; the monthly files through Sep 2026, posted Oct 27, 2026. New housing units authorized by building permits, reported plus imputed. A month is the figure in that month's file; a year is the annual file, which adds late and corrected reports, so twelve months need not add up to the year. Public domain.
People
U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025, July 1, 2020 to July 1, 2025, posted Mar 26, 2026. Public domain.
Income
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year, table B19013, 2020-2024 (2024 dollars), posted Jan 29, 2026. Median household income; printed at a coefficient of variation of 30% or less. Public domain.
Jobs
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2020-2025 annual averages, posted Aug 21, 2026. All industries, all ownerships, jobs covered by unemployment insurance; place of work. Public domain.
Home values
FHFA House Price Index (all-transactions), annual county and five-digit ZIP indexes, 2025, posted Mar 31, 2026. Public domain.
Land
Groundwork's map of the county roll and the county's own recorded sales: the same figures, gates and dates as the county page.
Data edition
Figures as of Oct 27, 2026. Area figures, not any one parcel's.