† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
1 counties by 2024 margin · County returns · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupSanta Cruz-Watsonville, CACaliforniaUnited States
English11.8%6.3%9.5%
German11.3%6.8%12.5%
Irish10.5%5.9%9.4%
Italian6.1%3.4%4.8%
Scottish2.3%0.9%1.3%
French2.2%1.3%1.6%
American1.9%2.8%5.3%
Polish1.8%0.9%2.2%
Mexican30.4%32.3%11.3%
Salvadoran0.9%2.0%0.7%
Spaniard0.7%0.3%—
Puerto Rican0.5%0.6%1.8%
Spanish0.5%0.3%—
Cuban0.2%—0.7%
Guatemalan0.2%1.3%0.5%
Colombian0.2%0.3%0.4%
Chinese1.3%3.9%1.3%
Asian Indian0.8%2.3%1.4%
Filipino0.8%3.3%0.9%
Japanese0.5%0.6%0.2%
Korean0.3%1.2%0.4%
Vietnamese0.2%1.7%0.6%
Aztec0.2%0.3%—
Maya0.1%——
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
California
United States
Median age
39.8
37.9
39.1
Age 18–24
14.1%
9.1%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
19.0%
15.6%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
California
United States
Median household income
$111,093
$99,122
$84,427
Poverty rate
11.6%
12.0%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
43.9%
36.6%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
California
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
33.6%
44.4%
22.3%
Spanish
26.4%
28.4%
13.6%
Other Indo-European
1.6%
3.4%
2.0%
Chinese (incl. Mandarin & Cantonese)
1.3%
3.5%
1.1%
Religious landscape
Measure
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
California
United States
Catholic
25.8%
26.2%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
4.9%
9.0%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
60.5%
55.2%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1892–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
1892
−8.0%
1896
−0.2%
1900
−13.2%
1904
−35.1%
1908
−23.6%
1912
+40.2%
1916
+3.0%
1920
−41.7%
1924
−51.8%
1928
−38.0%
1932
+14.9%
1936
+6.0%
1940
−3.4%
1944
−8.5%
1948
−20.7%
1952
−34.4%
1956
−27.4%
1960
−19.7%
1964
+17.3%
1968
−9.8%
1972
−3.5%
1976
+8.0%
1980
−5.8%
1984
+8.1%
1988
+24.8%
1992
+36.2%
1996
+29.6%
2000
+34.1%
2004
+48.1%
2008
+57.5%
2012
+55.5%
2016
+56.0%
2020
+59.9%
2024
+54.4%
DemocraticRepublican
34 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
D
75.3%Harris100,998
20.9%Trump27,978
1.5%Kennedy2,055 +4
D+54.4
R+5.5
D+55.9
134,135
All 7 candidates in 2024 · 5 minor / independent
Kamala D HarrisDemocratic75.3%100,998
Donald J TrumpRepublican20.9%27,978
Robert F Kennedy Jr.Independent1.5%2,055
Jill SteinIndependent1.3%1,758
Claudia De La CruzIndependent0.5%729
Chase OliverLibertarian0.5%606
OtherAll other candidates0.0%11
D
78.4%Biden114,246
18.5%Trump26,937
3.1%
D+59.9
D+3.9
D+55.5
145,649
D
73.3%Clinton95,249
17.3%Trump22,438
9.5%
D+56.0
D+0.5
D+53.9
130,012
D
75.4%Obama90,805
20.0%Romney24,047
4.6%
D+55.5
R+2.1
D+51.6
120,385
D
77.3%Obama98,745
19.8%McCain25,244
2.9%
D+57.5
D+9.4
D+50.3
127,736
D
73.0%Kerry89,102
24.9%Bush30,354
2.2%
D+48.1
D+14.0
D+50.6
122,084
D
61.5%Gore66,618
27.3%Bush29,627
11.2%
D+34.1
D+4.6
D+33.6
108,350
D
56.5%Clinton58,250
26.9%Dole27,766
16.5%
D+29.6
R+6.6
D+21.1
103,062
D
58.1%Clinton66,183
21.9%Bush24,916
20.1%
D+36.2
D+11.4
D+30.6
113,992
D
61.5%Dukakis63,133
36.8%Bush37,728
1.7%
D+24.8
D+16.7
D+32.5
102,611
D
53.3%Mondale49,091
45.2%Reagan41,652
1.5%
D+8.1
D+13.9
D+26.3
92,147
R
37.7%Carter32,346
43.5%Reagan37,347
18.8%
R+5.8
R+13.8
D+3.9
85,804
D
51.1%Carter37,772
43.1%Ford31,872
5.8%
D+8.0
D+11.5
D+5.9
73,969
R
46.4%McGovern32,336
49.9%Nixon34,799
3.8%
R+3.5
D+6.2
D+19.6
69,759
R
41.0%Humphrey20,492
50.8%Nixon25,365
8.2%
R+9.8
R+27.0
R+9.1
49,944
D
58.5%Johnson26,714
41.3%Goldwater18,836
0.2%
D+17.3
D+36.9
R+5.3
45,644
R
39.9%Kennedy16,659
59.6%Nixon24,858
0.4%
R+19.7
D+7.8
R+19.8
41,704
R
36.2%Stevenson12,574
63.6%Eisenhower22,109
0.3%
R+27.4
D+7.0
R+12.0
34,776
R
32.2%Stevenson11,080
66.7%Eisenhower22,910
1.1%
R+34.4
R+13.7
R+23.7
34,361
R
37.0%Truman9,862
57.7%Dewey15,395
5.4%
R+20.7
R+12.3
R+25.2
26,690
R
45.3%Roosevelt9,357
53.8%Dewey11,102
0.9%
R+8.5
R+5.0
R+15.9
20,637
R
47.5%Roosevelt10,683
50.9%Willkie11,453
1.6%
R+3.4
R+9.4
R+13.4
22,486
D
52.1%Roosevelt9,326
46.1%Landon8,260
1.8%
D+6.0
R+9.0
R+18.3
17,908
D
55.0%Roosevelt8,246
40.1%Hoover6,005
4.9%
D+14.9
D+52.9
R+2.8
14,990
R
30.5%Smith3,688
68.5%Hoover8,275
0.9%
R+38.0
D+13.8
R+20.5
12,075
R
9.0%Davis801
60.8%Coolidge5,402
30.1%
R+51.8
R+10.1
R+26.6
8,879
R
24.5%Cox1,957
66.3%Harding5,285
9.2%
R+41.7
R+44.7
R+15.5
7,974
D
47.8%Wilson4,511
44.8%Hughes4,228
7.5%
D+3.0
R+37.2
R+0.1
9,446
O
40.2%Wilson2,875
0.0%Taft0
59.8%
Roosevelt +19.6
D+63.8
D+20.7
7,152
R
31.1%Bryan1,643
54.7%Taft2,886
14.1%
R+23.6
D+11.6
R+14.0
5,275
R
25.5%Parker1,105
60.7%Roosevelt2,626
13.8%
R+35.1
R+22.0
R+15.5
4,329
R
40.0%Bryan1,635
53.2%McKinley2,173
6.8%
R+13.2
R+12.9
R+5.6
4,085
R
48.0%Bryan1,960
48.2%McKinley1,969
3.7%
R+0.2
D+7.8
D+5.9
4,082
R
36.8%Cleveland1,512
44.8%Harrison1,843
18.4%
R+8.0
—
R+9.7
4,112
Congressional elections · 3 Senate races
U.S. Senate
Source · MIT Election Lab (MEDSL), Senate. CC-BY 4.0.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Total
2024
D
76.2%98,631
23.8%30,737
129,368
2022
D
78.0%80,675
22.0%22,810
103,485
2018
D
100.0%111,594
0.0%0
111,594
voter registration
Registered voters
By party of registration, over time
Party registration · 2024D+45.0
vs
Presidential vote · 2024D+54.4
Registration leans Democratic; the presidential vote runs 9.5 points more Republican.
168,185 registered voters · 2024 · up from 166,928 in 2022
Domestic migration in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA: net domestic migration by year
Year
Net domestic migration
2011
+81
2012
+13
2013
+980
2014
+605
2015
+1,000
2016
−565
2017
−697
2018
−1,858
2019
−1,339
2021
−9,988
2022
+3,444
2023
−3,437
2024
−2,747
2025
−2,701
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA sits in the Pacific Coast. In 2024 it voted Democratic.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 59.9 points in 2020 and a Republican high of 51.8 points in 1924. Between 2020 and 2024 the metro moved 5.5 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 54.4 points.
A population of 264,926, a 54% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $111,093 describe the metro. The metro's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA and Napa, CA.
Akashic
Political twins — metros
The metros whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, California. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cbsa/42100/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
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How did Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, California vote in 2024?
In 2024, Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, California voted Democratic by 54.4 points (D+54.4), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 134,135 votes cast, 100,998 went Democratic and 27,978 went Republican.
When did Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, California last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, California voted Republican was 1980.
How many people live in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, California?
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, California has a population of 264,926 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, California?
Median household income in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, California is $111,093 — above the national median of $80,734. The California state median is $99,122.
What is the political history of Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, California?
Akashic tracks 34 presidential elections in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, California from 1892 to 2024. Of those, 16 went Democratic and 17 went Republican.
