Downey, CA vs Santa Cruz, CA

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Downey

61.3

#1911 nationally

Santa Cruz

60.5

#1932 nationally

Santa Cruz leads in average commute (22.2 min vs 31.3 min). Downey leads in crime level (12.3 vs 16.8). Santa Cruz leads in median household income ($105,491 vs $84,236).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Downey, CA	Santa Cruz, CA
WhereAtHome Score	61.3 (#1911)	60.5 (#1932)
Population	108,816	61,501
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$885,146	$1,360,355
Median Household Income	$84,236	$105,491
Average Commute	31.3 min	22.2 min
Walk Score	61	63
Crime Level	12.3	16.8
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	165	205
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+32.9	D+54.4