Department of Numbers

Santa Cruz-Watsonville, California Job Growth

There were 91,600 jobs in Santa Cruz, California in July 2021 according to the CES survey of employers. The CPS survey of households showed 121,745 employed persons for the month. Santa Cruz added 1,000 jobs in July 2021 according to the CES survey while the broader CPS measure of employment rose by 43 (Comparing CES and CPS employment numbers.). You can also compare Santa Cruz job growth to job growth in other cities.

Employment Survey July 2021 Month/Month Year/Year
CES 91,600 +1,000 +1,400
CPS 121,745 +43 +5,601

Note: The CPS survey data is now seasonally adjusted at the metropolitan level by with the new BLS SSA series.

Santa Cruz, California Employment Changes

The charts below show the monthly job growth for Santa Cruz as measured by the CES and CPS surveys. To illustrate the trend, the 3 month moving average change in employment is shown in green.

CES Employment Change: 1 Month, Rolling 3 Month

CPS Employment Change: 1 Month, Rolling 3 Month

Total Employment for Santa Cruz, California

CES employment for Santa Cruz peaked in August 2019 at 105,000. Since then 13,400 jobs have been lost in Santa Cruz according to the employer survey. From a trough of 83,400 in April 2020, Santa Cruz has gained 8,200 jobs according to CES employment figures.

CPS employment reached a maximum of 142,992 for Santa Cruz in February 2001. 21,247 jobs have been lost in Santa Cruz since then according to the household survey. From a May 2020 low of 110,438, Santa Cruz has added 11,307 jobs according to the CPS survey.

Employment: CES, CPS

CES and CPS employment chart through July 2021

Santa Cruz, California Employment History

Date CES
Employment		 CES
Month/Month		 CPS
Employment		 CPS
Month/Month
July 2021 91,600 1,000 121,745 43
June 2021 90,600 100 121,702 -239
May 2021 90,500 -400 121,941 -222
April 2021 90,900 200 122,163 -162
March 2021 90,700 -500 122,325 199
February 2021 91,200 -100 122,126 391
January 2021 91,300 -200 121,735 407
December 2020 91,500 -300 121,328 411
November 2020 91,800 -200 120,917 642
October 2020 92,000 -200 120,275 976
September 2020 92,200 800 119,299 1,338
August 2020 91,400 1,200 117,961 1,817

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