Skip to Main Content
© Mapbox / © OpenStreetMap
Town0

Watsonville

  • C-
    Overall Grade
  • Town in California
  • 86 reviews
    C-
    Overall Niche Grade
    How are grades calculated?
    1. Public Schools
      C-
    2. Crime & Safety
      C
    3. Housing
      D-
    4. Nightlife
      B-
    5. Good for Families
      C-
    6. Diversity
      B+
    7. Jobs
      C-
    8. Weather
      A+
    9. Cost of Living
      D+
    10. Health & Fitness
      A
    11. Outdoor Activities
      A
    12. Commute
      B+
    View Full Report Card
    Watsonville is a town in California with a population of 53,452. Watsonville is in Santa Cruz County. Living in Watsonville offers residents a dense suburban feel and most residents rent their homes. In Watsonville there are a lot of parks. Many families live in Watsonville and residents tend to be liberal.
    Population
    53,452

    Real Estate

    Median Home Value
    $397,900
    National
    $184,700
    Median Rent
    $1,325
    National
    $949
    Area Feel
    Dense Suburban
    Rent vs. Own
    • Rent
      58%
    • Own
      42%
    Sponsored Mortgage Options for Watsonville
    Get Rates
    • Get pre-approved for a home loan quickly.
    • Easy online application with $0 in lender fees.
    Niche may be compensated by the third party lenders and others who place ads on the website. Niche is not a lender and does not endorse the products of these advertisers. Fees that Niche receives for ads do not affect the terms you may be offered by the lender you choose. There are many additional borrowing options available.

    Watsonville Rankings

    Niche ranks thousands of places to live based on key statistics from the U.S. Census and and expert insights.

    Crime & Safety

    Crime & Safety
    C
    Based on violent and property crime rates.
    Violent Crimes
    • Calculated annually per 100,000 residents
    National
    • Assault
      319.2
      282.7
    • Murder
      1.8
      6.1
    • Rape
      33
      40.7
    • Robbery
      91.7
      135.5
    Property Crimes
    • Calculated annually per 100,000 residents
    National
    • Burglary
      359.5
      500.1
    • Theft
      1,440
      2,042.8
    • Motor Vehicle Theft
      640.2
      284

    Residents

    Diversity
    B+
    Based on ethnic and economic diversity.
    Age
    • <10 years
      19%
    • 10-17 years
      12%
    • 18-24 years
      13%
    • 25-34 years
      14%
    • 35-44 years
      13%
    • 45-54 years
      11%
    • 55-64 years
      9%
    • 65+ years
      9%
    Education Levels
    National
    • Master's degree or higher
      3%
      12%
    • Bachelor's degree
      8%
      19%
    • Some college or associate's degree
      24%
      29%
    • High school diploma or equivalent
      24%
      28%
    • Less than high school diploma
      41%
      13%

    Working in Watsonville

    Jobs
    C-
    Based on employment rates, job and business growth, and cost of living.
    Median Household Income
    $51,548
    National
    $55,322
    Search for Jobs in Watsonville
    • Public Schools
    • Private Schools
    • Colleges
    Places like Watsonville
    More

    Watsonville Reviews

    86 reviews
    All Categories
    Watsonville is a small community, and its mostly known for its agriculture. Watsonville mostly consist of many immigrant, or Hispanics people, so there is a diverse are. One of the biggest festival that happens in Watsonville is its Strawberry Festival. The Strawberry Festivals happens around the summer, and early fall time. The festival brings many interesting foods, rides, and entertainment that the whole family is able to enjoy. Watsonville is also near a beach which many people enjoy, and visits with its friends and family. There are even campgrounds in which you can station yourself to enjoy the beach. Even though Watsonville is small the community is still very inclusive it is still very diverse.
    Start Your Review of Watsonville
    Rate It!
    I have lived in Watsonville for most of my life and I have to say that I like where I live. The only real flaw that Watsonville contains are gangs and violence, however, they are not extreme. Violence in watsonville occurs occasionally. Some locations where it might occur are in schools or in certain areas where gangs are located at. Other than this, watsonville is an awesome place to live. It contains many fun places to visit like the theaters, sport locations involving baseball fields, soccer fields, football fields, skateparks, etc, and exiting beaches!
    Watsonville has been overall a great place to live. I am a student who spends a lot of time in Santa Cruz. It can be very pricey to live there, so I decided to live in Watsonville. Parts of Watsonville have been known for gang activity, but I have never had a problem in my neighborhood. People are friendly and the price is right. Not much to do, but Santa Cruz is just 20 minutes away!