Electric companies in Santa Cruz County, California
Santa Cruz County, CA ranks 6 of 58 California counties for the oldest homes (median year built 1973). Santa Cruz County in California has 266,021 residents and 1 utility listed by EIA, with home prices of 31.70 cents per kWh.
In Santa Cruz County, community choice aggregators may change the generation charge. How to compare.
Santa Cruz County on the map
Santa Cruz County darker: more storm events
Housing and heating in Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County, CA: 67,973 of 106,635 homes were built before 1980 and 12,602 in 2000 or later. Santa Cruz County, CA has 68,056 detached houses, 13,677 homes in 5+ unit buildings, 7,234 mobile homes, and 38,771 of 96,873 households rent.
Age of homes in Santa Cruz County, CA
% of homes by decade built, Santa Cruz County, CA
- 12pre-40
- 740s
- 1050s
- 1460s
- 2170s
- 1680s
- 890s
- 800s
- 410s
- 020+
Heating fuel in Santa Cruz County, CA
| Santa Cruz County, CA | Value | State median | Gap | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz County, CA, median year built | 1973 | 1980 | -7 years | 51 of 58 |
| Santa Cruz County, CA, built before 1980 | 63.7% | 49.4% | +14.3 points | 6 of 58 |
| Santa Cruz County, CA, built 2000 or later | 11.8% | 18.7% | -6.8 points | 55 of 58 |
| Santa Cruz County, CA, detached houses | 63.8% | 69.9% | -6.1 points | 41 of 58 |
| Santa Cruz County, CA, apartments in 5+ unit buildings | 12.8% | 11.4% | +1.4 points | 24 of 58 |
| Santa Cruz County, CA, mobile homes | 6.8% | 6.1% | +0.7 points | 24 of 58 |
| Santa Cruz County, CA, renter households | 40.0% | 36.9% | +3.2 points | 21 of 58 |
| Santa Cruz County, CA, median home value | $1,015,200 | $453,950 | +$561,250 | 6 of 58 |
| Santa Cruz County, CA, median gross rent a month | $2,172 | $1,528 | +$644 | 9 of 57 |
| Santa Cruz County, CA, people per household | 2.60 | 2.74 | -0.14 | 36 of 58 |
ZIP codes in Santa Cruz County
- 95003
- 95005
- 95006
- 95007
- 95010
- 95017
- 95018
- 95019
- 95033
- 95041
- 95060
- 95062
- 95064
- 95065
- 95066
- 95073
- 95076
Electric utilities in Santa Cruz County
| Utility listed for Santa Cruz County, CA | Type | Home price ¢/kWh | Yearly bill at 503 kWh | Share of Santa Cruz County, CA median income of $109,266 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Gas & Electric Co. in Santa Cruz County, CA | Investor Owned | 31.70 | $1,914 | 1.75% |
Prices are statewide utility averages, not a county price. Community choice aggregators may change the generation part of your bill.
Facts about Santa Cruz County
- Residents of Santa Cruz County, CA, ACS 2023
- 266,02125 of 58 California counties
- Households in Santa Cruz County, CA
- 96,8732.75 people each
- Owner-occupied homes in Santa Cruz County, CA
- 60.0%58,102 owner and 38,771 renter households
- Median household income in Santa Cruz County, CA
- $109,26610 of 58 California counties
- Housing units in Santa Cruz County, CA
- 106,6359,762 vacant or seasonal, 9.2% of the units
- Homes heated by electricity in Santa Cruz County, CA
- 24.6%23,803 homes, 36 of 58 California counties
- Utilities listed for Santa Cruz County, CA
- 11 with a home price: Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
- Home price in Santa Cruz County, CA
- 31.70 ¢/kWhPacific Gas & Electric Co.
- ZIP areas touching Santa Cruz County, CA
- 1795003 to 95076
- Outage-linked storm events in Santa Cruz County, CA
- 234NWS storm events, 2015 to 2025
- Homes built before 1980 in Santa Cruz County, CA
- 63.7%median year built 1973
- Flood claims in Santa Cruz County, CA
- 399NFIP 2015 to 2025, $13.6M paid
- Home energy burden in Santa Cruz County, CA
- 1.6%$1,353 a year on electricity (DOE LEAD)
Cost of living with electricity in Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County, CA: electricity $1,353 a year per home (DOE LEAD), all home energy $2,167, 1.6% of $137,924 income. 96,487 households in Santa Cruz County, CA spend about $130.5 million a year on electricity and $209.1 million on all home energy. Lower-income homes in Santa Cruz County, CA ($18,824 a year) spend 6.7% of income, 4.3 times the all-home figure.
Energy burden in Santa Cruz County, CA
| Santa Cruz County, CA | Homes | Income | Power | Gas | Other | Burden |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz County, CA, all households | 96,487 | $137,924 | $1,353 | $750 | $64 | 1.6% |
| Santa Cruz County, CA, lower income | 20,590 | $18,824 | $845 | $390 | $29 | 6.7% |
| Santa Cruz County, CA, owners | 57,852 | $177,275 | $1,659 | $1,019 | $97 | 1.6% |
| Santa Cruz County, CA, renters | 38,635 | $79,000 | $894 | $347 | $16 | 1.6% |
Outage risk in Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County, CA, NWS storm events 2015 to 2025: 234 in all, 88.0 per 100,000 residents of 266,021, rank 19 of 56 California counties. Property damage in Santa Cruz County, CA: $66K, with 12 direct injuries or deaths.
Events by year in Santa Cruz County, CA
events a year, Santa Cruz County, CA
- 7'15
- 2'16
- 48'17
- 11'18
- 64'19
- 21'20
- 38'21
- 10'22
- 16'23
- 7'24
- 10'25
Events by type
| Santa Cruz County, CA | FEMA | Score | Rank | Events | Peak | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz County, CA, thunderstorm and high wind | Very Low | 7.0 | 38 of 58 | 217 | 2019 (60) | $66K |
| Santa Cruz County, CA, tornado | Very Low | 18.7 | 25 of 58 | 3 | 2019 (2) | $10 |
| Santa Cruz County, CA, winter storm and heavy snow | Relatively Low | 31.7 | 25 of 58 | 3 | 2023 (2) | $7 |
| Santa Cruz County, CA, heat wave | Relatively Moderate | 86.6 | 26 of 58 | 3 | 2017 (1) | $0 |
Santa Cruz County, CA, no score or events: hurricane and tropical storm, ice storm.
Flood claims and flood insurance in Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County, CA: 399 NFIP flood claims in 2015 to 2025, $13.6M paid, median paid claim $21,536.
2,095 of 83,749 residential structures in Santa Cruz County, CA carry an NFIP contract. 3,265 NFIP policies of any type were in force in Santa Cruz County, CA on 8 Sep 2026. Santa Cruz County, CA lists 121 repetitive-loss properties, 14 of them severe repetitive loss.
Santa Cruz County, CA: claims history, not an outage count.
Flood claims by year in Santa Cruz County, CA
flood claims a year, Santa Cruz County, CA
- <5'15
- 23'16
- 102'17
- <5'18
- <5'19
- 0'20
- 7'21
- 97'22
- 155'23
- 7'24
- <5'25
| Santa Cruz County, CA | Value | Median county | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz County, CA, claims 2015-2025 | 399 | — | 6 of 50 |
| Santa Cruz County, CA, paid 2015-2025 | $13.6M | — | 6 of 50 |
| Santa Cruz County, CA, median paid claim | $21,536 | — | — |
| Santa Cruz County, CA, claims per 1,000 homes | 4.8 | 0.8 | 3 of 50 |
| Santa Cruz County, CA, homes with flood insurance | 2.5% | 1.0% | 10 of 56 |
| Santa Cruz County, CA, policies in force | 3,265 | — | — |
| Santa Cruz County, CA, repetitive-loss properties | 121 | — | — |
Santa Cruz County, CA: OpenFEMA NFIP, claims as of 8 Sep 2026, insured share as of 3 Aug 2026; counts under 5 are hidden.
Santa Cruz County: flood claims by state, flood hub.
Analyst note on Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County, CA touches 17 ZIP areas, 95003 to 95076, about 15,648 residents each. Household income in Santa Cruz County, CA is $109,266; 58,102 of its 96,873 households own. Santa Cruz County, CA counts 266,021 residents in 96,873 households.
23,803 of the 96,873 homes in Santa Cruz County, CA heat with electricity. Santa Cruz County, CA has 106,635 housing units, 9,762 (9.2%) vacant or seasonal, and 38,771 rented homes. Santa Cruz County, CA logged 234 storm events for its 266,021 residents.
The median home in Santa Cruz County, CA dates from 1973. Homes in Santa Cruz County, CA pay $1,353 a year for electricity.
Bill and heat pump calculator, Santa Cruz County
Compare Santa Cruz County with its neighbours
- Santa Clara County sits 19 miles northeast of Santa Cruz County, CA with 1,903,297 residents, 307 storm events, median home built 1975, energy burden 1.1%, income $159,674.
- San Mateo County sits 39 miles northwest of Santa Cruz County, CA with 745,100 residents, 303 storm events, median home built 1966, energy burden 1.2%, income $156,000.
- Alameda County sits 51 miles north of Santa Cruz County, CA with 1,651,949 residents, 210 storm events, median home built 1969, energy burden 1.3%, income $126,240.
- Monterey County sits 55 miles southeast of Santa Cruz County, CA with 435,834 residents, 209 storm events, median home built 1975, energy burden 1.7%, income $94,486.
- San Francisco County sits 58 miles northwest of Santa Cruz County, CA with 836,321 residents, 59 storm events, median home built 1945, energy burden 0.8%, income $141,446.
Cities in Santa Cruz County
- Santa Cruz electricity rates60,953 residents
- Watsonville electricity rates51,968 residents
California: home prices since 2001, planned plants.
Questions on Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County, CA: what do homes pay for electricity?
Santa Cruz County, CA homes paid 31.70 cents per kWh in 2024 across 1 listed utility: $160 a month at 503 kWh, 1.75% of Santa Cruz County, CA income. In Santa Cruz County, CA, community choice aggregators may change the generation charge.
Santa Cruz County, CA: how many homes heat with electricity?
Santa Cruz County, CA: 23,803 of 96,873 occupied homes, 24.6%, rank 36 of 58.
Santa Cruz County, CA: median household income?
$109,266 in Santa Cruz County, CA, rank 10 of 58; 266,021 residents, 96,873 households.
Santa Cruz County, CA: outage-linked storms since 2015?
Santa Cruz County, CA: 234 NWS events, peak year 2019.
Santa Cruz County, CA: flood insurance claims since 2015?
Santa Cruz County, CA: 399 NFIP flood claims, $13.6M paid, 4.8 per 1,000 homes, 2.5% of homes insured.
How old are the homes in Santa Cruz County, CA?
Santa Cruz County, CA: median home built 1973; 63.7% predate 1980, 63.8% detached, 12.8% in 5+ unit buildings.
Santa Cruz County, CA: share of income for energy?
Santa Cruz County, CA homes spend $1,353 a year on electricity, $2,167 on all energy: 1.6% of $137,924; 6.7% for lower incomes.