Santa Cruz-Watsonville, California Job Growth

There were 102,700 jobs in Santa Cruz, California in September 2023 according to the CES survey of employers. The CPS survey of households showed 126,480 employed persons for the month. Santa Cruz added 100 jobs in September 2023 according to the CES survey while the broader CPS measure of employment fell by 69 (Comparing CES and CPS employment numbers.). You can also compare Santa Cruz job growth to job growth in other cities.

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 January 2020 at 104,800. Since then 2,100 jobs have been lost in Santa Cruz according to the employer survey. From a trough of 83,300 in April 2020, Santa Cruz has gained 19,400 jobs according to CES employment figures.

CPS employment reached a maximum of 142,992 for Santa Cruz in February 2001. 16,512 jobs have been lost in Santa Cruz since then according to the household survey. From a April 2020 low of 110,857, Santa Cruz has added 15,623 jobs according to the CPS survey.

Employment: CES, CPS

Santa Cruz, California Employment History