Redding, 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.

Redding

66.6

#1525 nationally

Santa Cruz

60.5

#1932 nationally

Santa Cruz leads in walk score (63 vs 27). Redding leads in cost of living index (125 vs 205). Santa Cruz leads in median household income ($105,491 vs $67,323).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Redding, CA	Santa Cruz, CA
WhereAtHome Score	66.6 (#1525)	60.5 (#1932)
Population	92,727	61,501
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$395,544	$1,360,355
Median Household Income	$67,323	$105,491
Average Commute	16.6 min	22.2 min
Walk Score	27	63
Crime Level	17.7	16.8
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	125	205
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	R+36.5	D+54.4