Electric companies in Santa Cruz County, California

Santa Cruz County, CA on the map

Housing and heating in Santa Cruz County, CA

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.

ZIP codes in Santa Cruz County, CA

• 95003
• 95005
• 95006
• 95007
• 95010
• 95017
• 95018
• 95019
• 95033
• 95041
• 95060
• 95062
• 95064
• 95065
• 95066
• 95073
• 95076

Electric utilities in Santa Cruz County, CA

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, CA

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)

Electricity price since 2015 in Santa Cruz County, CA

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. charged Santa Cruz County, CA homes 17.57 ¢/kWh in 2015. Santa Cruz County, CA: 31.70 ¢ in 2024, 80% up. Santa Cruz County, CA: against 88% up for the California average.

Santa Cruz County, CA: a 503 kWh month at that price. Santa Cruz County, CA: $88 in 2015, $160 in 2024. Santa Cruz County, CA: $1,914 a year, 1.8% of the $109,266 median income.

Cost of living with electricity in Santa Cruz County, CA

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.

Outage risk in Santa Cruz County, CA

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.

Santa Cruz County, CA, no score or events: hurricane and tropical storm, ice storm.

Flood claims and flood insurance in Santa Cruz County, CA

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.

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, CA: flood claims by state, flood hub.

Climate and electric heating in Santa Cruz County, CA

Santa Cruz County, CA totals 2,937 heating degree days and 217 cooling degree days a year (1991-2020 normal).

For heating, Santa Cruz County, CA is the 33rd coldest of 58 counties in California: 2,937 against a median of 3,018. For cooling, Santa Cruz County, CA is the 51st hottest: 217 against a median of 838.

Santa Cruz County, CA is mild both ways, with neither season past 2,937 degree days.

Santa Cruz County, CA averaged 2,702 heating degree days in 2016-2025 against a 2,937 normal, 8% fewer.

In Santa Cruz County, CA, 24.6% of 96,873 homes heat with electricity; the other 75.4% use another main heating fuel.

Santa Cruz County, CA: ACS B25040, 96,873 homes; NOAA nClimDiv, retrieved 7 Oct 2026.

Bill and heat pump calculator, Santa Cruz County, CA

Compare Santa Cruz County, CA with its neighbours

• Santa Clara County sits 19 miles northeast of Santa Cruz County, CA, with 1,903,297 residents against 266,021 there, 307 storm events against 234, median home built 1975 against 1973, energy burden 1.1% against 1.6%, income $159,674 against $109,266.
• San Mateo County sits 39 miles northwest of Santa Cruz County, CA, with 745,100 residents against 266,021 there, 303 storm events against 234, median home built 1966 against 1973, energy burden 1.2% against 1.6%, income $156,000 against $109,266.
• Alameda County sits 51 miles north of Santa Cruz County, CA, with 1,651,949 residents against 266,021 there, 210 storm events against 234, median home built 1969 against 1973, energy burden 1.3% against 1.6%, income $126,240 against $109,266.
• Monterey County sits 55 miles southeast of Santa Cruz County, CA, with 435,834 residents against 266,021 there, 209 storm events against 234, median home built 1975 against 1973, energy burden 1.7% against 1.6%, income $94,486 against $109,266.
• San Francisco County sits 58 miles northwest of Santa Cruz County, CA, with 836,321 residents against 266,021 there, 59 storm events against 234, median home built 1945 against 1973, energy burden 0.8% against 1.6%, income $141,446 against $109,266.

Cities in Santa Cruz County, CA

• Santa Cruz electricity rates60,953 residents
• Watsonville electricity rates51,968 residents