Santa Cruz Labor Force

Santa Cruz County’s labor force is 153,291 workers strong. Of them, about 136,429 workers are employed, while 11% of workers – or 16,862 people – are unemployed. (http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/CASANT3LFN, http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/CASANT3URN)

1,309 of these employees are government employees. (http://santacruz.patch.com/articles/sequestration-budget-cuts-how-many-federal-employees-does-santa-cruz-county-have)

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2007 there were 7,116 firms in Santa Cruz city selling $15,118 of retail per capita. In 2010, private, nonfarm establishments made up 6,781 of these firms. 208 building permits were issued in 2011, and the 2013-14 general fund stands at about $396 million (http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_23193743/modest-santa-cruz-county-budget-reflects-sluggish-growth).

84% of Santa Cruz citizens aged 25 and up are high school graduates, while 38.1% hold a Bachelor’s degree or higher. Nearly 81% of employees carpool or drive alone, while about 8.6% walk, bike, or arrive to work by other means, and 3.1% use public transportation. (http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk)

Income in Santa Cruz is as follows:

Personal Income: $12.9 billion
Median Household Income: $66,030
Per Capita Income: $32,975
Total Taxable Sales: $2.9 million

All data from 2011. Sources:
• http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/tpp/offices/eab/socio_economic_files/2012/Santa_Cruz.pdf
• US Census Bureau Quickfacts Sheet