Brookdale station 1913 postcard, 1907–1913
Brookdale’s story
124 years in pictures
The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1907.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1902Brookdale is settled
BrookdaleCA
A town of 1,378, settled in 1902.
2 bordering townsMap →
Photo: John Pilge · Public domain
Population
1,378
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$882K
Census ACS
Household income
$87K
median
Median age
38.6
years
Jobs based here
206
A commuter town
Is Brookdale a good place to live?
The best of Brookdale’s subject grades is an A for health; the weakest is a D− for hazard risk. Phillipshurst-Riverwood is on the National Register of Historic Places. Brookdale has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Brookdale stand out
Where Brookdale beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Small town
1,378 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Ben LomondBoulder CreekBrookdale
How Brookdale grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Brookdale is from typical.
Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listD−Open →Cost of livingTypical home $882K, 7.9 years of the Santa Cruz metro’s $111K median household incomeDOpen →HealthDominican Hospital 10.7 miles awayAOpen →SchoolsBeat 74% of California districts on tests and graduationB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.7 of 20; 10% of households have no car; 15.7% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB+Open →Jobs & income$87K median household incomeCOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateCold winters, 82° summer afternoons–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 38.6; 48% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 230 attractions →Levi's Stadium and 88 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Brookdale. Close and well known come first.
Big draw22 mi Stadium & arenaLevi's Stadium
Big draw21 mi Theme parkCalifornia's Great America
20 mi Stadium & arenaSAP Center
28 mi MuseumFiloli
36 mi Zoo & aquariumMonterey Bay Aquarium
21 mi MuseumComputer History MuseumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Levi'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 · Filoli: Sukuru, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Monterey Bay Aquarium: Meij.kobayashi, Public domain · Computer History Museum: Dzou, CC BY-SA 3.0
Getting set up
Moving to Brookdale: who provides what
Brookdale is unincorporated, so Santa Cruz County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSan Lorenzo Valley Water Dist1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesSanta Cruz CountySanta Cruz County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereSanta Cruz County Clerk - ElectionsSanta Cruz County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2025
ZIP codes95005, 9500795005 56% · 95007 43%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Brookdale.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
The biggest natural risk in Brookdale is inland flooding, at a very high overall level
Brookdale’s natural-hazard score from FEMA stands at 99 of 100, above both the California town median (88 of 100) and the median of U.S. towns (44 of 100). It has had 17 paid flood insurance claims since 1980. Expected losses in Brookdale break down as 60% from inland flooding and 34% from earthquakes. Households locally have drawn federal disaster aid in 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2023.
99risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakes
17
paid flood claims since 1980
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthA
Residents of Brookdale are healthier than nine in ten U.S. towns
Just over a tenth of Brookdale adults report frequent physical distress. Against the California average, Brookdale comes out ahead on 13 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 3. Brookdale: 16% of adults get no exercise outside work, against 24% in California’s towns and 25% across U.S. towns. Among adults locally, 19% binge drink and 25% have obesity.
90%healthier than U.S. townsAHealth Grade
| Brookdale | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 24% | 25% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 29% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 35% | 36% |
32 measures vs. California
13 better16 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Brookdale | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.8% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.8% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.9% | 6.4% |
Dominican Hospital
10.7 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
Most of Brookdale’s workers head elsewhere: there are 0.3 jobs for each of them
Since 2013, Brookdale has added 130 jobs, to 206 in 2023. Most people who work leave Brookdale to do it: just 1% work in town. The town’s average commute is 35 minutes. Half of commuters travel less than 20 miles.
1%work in town
| Brookdale | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 35 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.1% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Median household income | $87,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Brookdale1%
San Jose11%
Santa Cruz11%
Ben Lomond4%
Scotts Valley4%
20 mi
median commute distance
206
jobs based in Brookdale
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 70% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers: that is Brookdale’s year
July afternoons reach 81° and January nights drop to 39°.
82°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter39–60°
Spring44–68°
Summer51–80°
Fall47–74°
Dec 15
typical first frost
Mar 21
typical last frost
+1.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
82°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade D
Homes in Brookdale sell for about $889K
Among households in Brookdale, 45% own their home. The going rate for rent for Brookdale comes to $1,814 a month.
$889Kmedian sale price
| Brookdale | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 45% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,814 a month | $1,896 a month | $1,185 a month |
2
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Brookdale
16pages on Brookdale
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of Brookdale
University of California-Santa CruzUniversity or college · Public · Santa Cruz8.1 mi$16,005 in-state tuitionFive Branches UniversityUniversity or college · Private for-profit · Santa Cruz11.6 miWest Valley CollegeCommunity college · Public · Saratoga12.3 mi$0 in-state tuition
About 12 of every 100 Brookdale residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Brookdale for work
Where Brookdale’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
206jobs based in Brookdale
1%of working residents work in town
20 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Brookdale
Census-designated place in California, United States
Brookdale is a census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. Brookdale sits at an elevation of 405 feet (123 m). It is located in the San Lorenzo Valley between Boulder Creek and Ben Lomond on Highway 9. The 2020 United States census reported Brookdale's population as 2,043. The ZIP Code is 95007 and the community is served by area code 831. There is no mail delivery in Brookdale, though no home is more than 1.5 miles from the post office.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 3.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 405 ft
- ZIP code
- 95007
Questions about Brookdale
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Brookdale, CA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $882,000, 16% above the California typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.