Living Wage Calculation for Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
The living wage shown is the hourly rate that an individual in a household must earn to support themselves and/or their family, working full-time or 2080 hours per year. The tables below provide living wage estimates for individuals and households
with one or two working adults and zero to three children. In households with
two working adults, all hourly values reflect what one working adult requires to earn to meet their families’ basic needs, assuming the other adult also earns the same.
The poverty wage and minimum wage are for reference purposes. Poverty wage estimates come from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Poverty Guidelines for 2026 and have been converted from an annual value to an hourly wage for ease of comparison. The minimum wage data is sourced from the Labor Law Center and includes the minimum wage in a given state as of January 2026. When a county has enacted a minimum wage ordinance, the data reflects that county-level minimum wage. Municipal ordinances applying only to specific cities or towns within a county are not referenced.
For further detail, please reference the Methodology page. The data on this page was last updated on February 15, 2026.
| |
1 ADULT |
2 ADULTS (1 WORKING) |
2 ADULTS (BOTH WORKING) |
| |
0 Children |
1 Child |
2 Children |
3 Children |
0 Children |
1 Child |
2 Children |
3 Children |
0 Children |
1 Child |
2 Children |
3 Children |
| Living Wage |
$42.98
|
$74.61
|
$92.91
|
$113.84
|
$50.56
|
$64.34
|
$68.07
|
$83.38
|
$25.28
|
$39.42
|
$47.51
|
$57.91
|
| Poverty Wage |
$7.67
|
$10.40
|
$13.13
|
$15.87
|
$10.40
|
$13.13
|
$15.87
|
$18.60
|
$5.20
|
$6.57
|
$7.93
|
$9.30
|
| Minimum Wage |
$16.90
|
$16.90
|
$16.90
|
$16.90
|
$16.90
|
$16.90
|
$16.90
|
$16.90
|
$16.90
|
$16.90
|
$16.90
|
$16.90
|
Typical Expenses
The table below shows the costs of each basic need that go into estimating the living
wage. Like with the living wage, their values vary by location and family size.
| |
1 ADULT |
2 ADULTS (1 WORKING) |
2 ADULTS (BOTH WORKING) |
| |
0 Children |
1 Child |
2 Children |
3 Children |
0 Children |
1 Child |
2 Children |
3 Children |
0 Children |
1 Child |
2 Children |
3 Children |
| Food |
$5,702
|
$8,364
|
$12,532
|
$16,679
|
$10,453
|
$12,973
|
$16,687
|
$20,359
|
$10,453
|
$12,973
|
$16,687
|
$20,359
|
| Child Care |
$0
|
$19,465
|
$34,738
|
$41,367
|
$0
|
$0
|
$0
|
$0
|
$0
|
$19,465
|
$34,738
|
$41,367
|
| Medical |
$3,917
|
$13,026
|
$13,178
|
$13,345
|
$8,366
|
$13,983
|
$14,293
|
$14,640
|
$8,366
|
$13,983
|
$14,293
|
$14,640
|
| Housing |
$38,344
|
$50,828
|
$50,828
|
$64,856
|
$39,779
|
$50,828
|
$50,828
|
$64,856
|
$39,779
|
$50,828
|
$50,828
|
$64,856
|
| Transportation |
$9,924
|
$11,485
|
$14,468
|
$16,647
|
$11,485
|
$14,468
|
$16,647
|
$18,637
|
$11,485
|
$14,468
|
$16,647
|
$18,637
|
| Civic |
$3,876
|
$6,543
|
$8,629
|
$9,827
|
$6,543
|
$8,629
|
$9,827
|
$11,002
|
$6,543
|
$8,629
|
$9,827
|
$11,002
|
| Internet & Mobile |
$1,566
|
$1,566
|
$1,566
|
$1,566
|
$2,189
|
$2,189
|
$2,189
|
$2,189
|
$2,189
|
$2,189
|
$2,189
|
$2,189
|
| Other |
$4,992
|
$9,077
|
$9,923
|
$10,804
|
$9,077
|
$10,163
|
$10,804
|
$12,096
|
$9,077
|
$10,163
|
$10,804
|
$12,096
|
| Required annual income after taxes |
$68,322
|
$120,355
|
$145,862
|
$175,091
|
$87,893
|
$113,232
|
$121,274
|
$143,779
|
$87,893
|
$132,697
|
$156,013
|
$185,146
|
| Annual taxes |
$21,078
|
$34,830
|
$47,401
|
$61,702
|
$17,280
|
$20,600
|
$20,314
|
$29,654
|
$17,280
|
$31,288
|
$41,636
|
$55,754
|
| Required annual income before taxes |
$89,400
|
$155,185
|
$193,263
|
$236,793
|
$105,173
|
$133,831
|
$141,589
|
$173,432
|
$105,173
|
$163,985
|
$197,648
|
$240,900
|
Typical Annual Salaries
The average annual salaries for various occupations in the table below comes from the latest state-level data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. When available, this data is specific to a given metro area.
| Occupational Area |
Typical Annual Salary |
|
Management
|
$141,850
|
|
Business & Financial Operations
|
$92,350
|
|
Computer & Mathematical
|
$117,720
|
|
Architecture & Engineering
|
$126,680
|
|
Life, Physical, & Social Science
|
$97,870
|
|
Community & Social Service
|
$72,170
|
|
Legal
|
$134,750
|
|
Education, Training, & Library
|
$81,720
|
|
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, & Media
|
$74,860
|
|
Healthcare Practitioners & Technical
|
$143,360
|
|
Healthcare Support
|
$43,770
|
|
Protective Service
|
$79,580
|
|
Food Preparation & Serving Related
|
$42,000
|
|
Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance
|
$47,340
|
|
Personal Care & Service
|
$45,530
|
|
Sales & Related
|
$52,840
|
|
Office & Administrative Support
|
$57,080
|
|
Farming, Fishing, & Forestry
|
$44,080
|
|
Construction & Extraction
|
$73,950
|
|
Installation, Maintenance, & Repair
|
$66,680
|
|
Production
|
$53,190
|
|
Transportation & Material Moving
|
$48,220
|
