Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 6,404, settled in 1870.
Aptos's standout: it has 13 miles of trail. Overall it grades C+, 260th of 841 graded towns in California. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 93% of the country and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 92% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 92% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Aptos’ typical home value is $1,320,000, above both California’s towns ($709,000) and U.S. towns ($332,000). Aptos is home to Cabrillo College. Homes are expensive, about $1.3 million for a typical one and 11.9 times the Santa Cruz metro’s $111K median household income.
Where Aptos beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Aptos is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 8,704 in 1970, 6,664 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1879 and 6 maps from 1912 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Aptos. Close and well known come first.
Big draw29 mi Stadium & arenaLevi's Stadium
Big draw28 mi Theme parkCalifornia's Great America
24 mi Stadium & arenaSAP Center
26 mi Zoo & aquariumMonterey Bay Aquarium
7 mi Theme parkSanta Cruz Beach Boardwalk
27 mi MuseumMonterey Museum of ArtLevi's Stadium: Matthew Roth, CC BY-SA 2.0 · California's Great America: Oleg Alexandrov, CC BY-SA 4.0 · SAP Center: Dicklyon, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Monterey Bay Aquarium: Meij.kobayashi, Public domain · Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk: Josta Photo, CC BY 2.0 · Monterey Museum of Art: Sgerbic, CC BY-SA 4.0
Aptos is unincorporated, so Santa Cruz County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Aptos.
Aptos has a longer frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns and trades workers with Santa Cruz and other neighbors, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of California.
At 11.9 years of the Santa Cruz metro’s $111K median household income, the typical home (about $1.32M) costs more against local pay than in 85% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. The typical value, about $1.32M, is 9% below its June 2022 peak.
The median rent in Aptos is $2,059 a month. The typical Aptos home is worth about $1,320,000, up 2.9% in a year, 73% above the California typical home.
| Aptos | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,059 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 71% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Pajaro Valley Unified school district. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aptos Junior HighLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 587 | – |
| Delta CharterLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 113 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Aptos’ trail density is 2.0 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Polo Grounds Park, at 61 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park | 7.7 mi | 357 |
| 2. Polo Grounds Park | 0.9 mi | 61 |
| 3. Aptos Village Park | — | 33 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
30% of Aptos adults sleep under 7 hours. Aptos beats the California average on 17 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 24% of Aptos adults have obesity.
| Aptos | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 35% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 29% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 24% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.2% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Aptos | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.6% | 17.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.6% | 10.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.6% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Santa Cruz weather station, 6 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 323 days, longer than in 96% of U.S. towns. January nights average 41.7°, milder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 72°.
Aptos has warm winters and cool summers. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Aptos | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 72°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 42°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Aptos has about as many jobs (2,879) as working residents, but only 194 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Aptos for work: only 8% work in town. 19% of workers work from home in Aptos. Since 2013, Aptos has lost 216 jobs, to 2,879 in 2023.
| Aptos | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $134,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 19% | 14% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.9% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
3 within 15 miles of the center of Aptos
About 12 of every 100 Aptos residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
11.3% of the town is conserved land, across 3 parks and preserves.
Census designated place in California, United States
Aptos (Ohlone for "The People" or "Meeting of Two Streams") is an unincorporated community in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. The town is made up of several small villages, which together form Aptos: Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley, Aptos Village, Cabrillo, Seacliff, Rio del Mar, and Seascape. As of the 2020 census, Aptos had a population of 6,664.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Aptos.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aptos | #260 | C+ | D | — | C | A |
| Day Valley | #340 | C | C− | — | C | A |
| Soquel | #161 | B | D− | — | A− | A |
| Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley | — | — | D− | — | C | A− |
| Rio del Mar | #326 | C+ | D− | — | C | A |
| Seacliff | #350 | C | D− | — | C | A |
Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Aptos, Day Valley, Soquel, Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley, Rio del Mar and Seacliff report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Aptos with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Aptos grades C+ overall, better than 43% of U.S. towns and #260 of 841 in California. It grades A for health and C for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
