Rio Del Mar 2014, 2014
Rio del Mar’s story
Rio del Mar in pictures
Census counts: 7,067 in 1980, 9,128 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2014 and 6 maps from 1912 on.
Explore the history →
Rio del MarCA
Some 9,201 people live in this town, in California.
3 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Cristiano Tomás · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
9,201
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$1.34M
Census ACS
Household income
$160K
median
Median age
51.4
years
Jobs based here
1,263
A commuter town
TownGrade
C+
#326 of 841 in CA
What should you know before moving to Rio del Mar?
Strong in places, weak in others. Its weakest subject is cost of living (D−): the typical home is worth about $1.3 million, 12 years of the Santa Cruz metro’s $111K median household income. With a C+ overall, Rio del Mar sits 326th of 841 in California. It comes out better than 36% of U.S. towns. Health is its strong suit — CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 94% of the country. Hazard risk is weaker too: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 86% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. The biggest park or preserve is Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, at 967 acres. Nearly two thirds of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in the town, above both the California town median (29%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%).
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenStreetMap.
What makes Rio del Mar stand out
Where Rio del Mar beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
32 measures vs. California
20 better10 too close to call2 worse
| Widest gap | Rio del Mar | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.9% | 10.6% |
HealthA
Beats CA on 20 of 32 CDC measures, trails it on 2
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
Worth knowing · Natural hazardsD
Earthquakes and inland flooding at the top
FEMA National Risk Index.
A commuter town
94% of working residents leave Rio del Mar for work
Where Rio del Mar’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
1,263jobs based in Rio del Mar
6%of working residents work in town
12 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Rio del Mar grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Rio del Mar is from typical.
Cost of livingHomes are among the least affordable for local incomesD−Open →HealthWatsonville Community Hospital 5.4 miles awayAOpen →Hazard riskEarthquakes top the listDOpen →Jobs & incomeIn the top fifth of the towns comparedA−Open →SchoolsGraded on exam and test resultsCOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 12.9 of 20; 1.8% of households have no car; 0.8% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors2 miles of trails; 10% conserved landAOpen →HistoryLittle recorded history by comparisonC−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 73° summer afternoons–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 51.4; 65% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 106 attractions →Levi's Stadium and 73 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Rio del Mar. Close and well known come first.
Big draw31 mi Stadium & arenaLevi's Stadium
Big draw31 mi Theme parkCalifornia's Great America
24 mi Zoo & aquariumMonterey Bay Aquarium
26 mi Stadium & arenaSAP Center
7 mi Theme parkSanta Cruz Beach Boardwalk
25 mi MuseumMonterey Museum of ArtSources: 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 · Monterey Bay Aquarium: Meij.kobayashi, Public domain · SAP Center: Dicklyon, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk: Josta Photo, CC BY 2.0 · Monterey Museum of Art: Sgerbic, CC BY-SA 4.0
Getting set up
Moving to Rio del Mar: who provides what
Rio del Mar is unincorporated, so Santa Cruz County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSoquel Creek Water DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers100% 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 code9500395003 100%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 Rio del Mar.
Rio del Mar is a second-home town and has a longer frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of California.
HealthA
Rio del Mar earns an A for health
Against the 2,181 U.S. towns with household incomes like Rio del Mar’s, it is healthier than 67%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
Rio del Mar: 24% of adults have obesity. For adults locally, the share who sleep under 7 hours is 29%.
94%healthier than U.S. townsAHealth Grade
| Rio del Mar | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 35% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 29% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 24% | 25% |
32 measures vs. California
20 better10 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Rio del Mar | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.9% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.6% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.4% | 6.4% |
Watsonville Community Hospital
5.4 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
89th
percentile among CA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsC
Rio del Mar’s schools rank behind 67% of California districts
One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. The Pajaro Valley Unified school district runs its public schools. Enrollment at Rio del Mar’s public school: 393 students.
33%of CA districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rio del Mar ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 393 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
The biggest natural risk in Rio del Mar is earthquakes, at a very high overall level
Flood insurance has paid out on 29 claims in Rio del Mar since 1983. FEMA puts 59% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to earthquakes, and 31% to inland flooding.
86risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesInland floodingTsunamis
29
paid flood claims since 1983
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A−
Fewer of Rio del Mar’s residents live below the poverty line than in the typical California or U.S. town
30.2% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
The top destinations are Santa Cruz (10%), Watsonville (9%) and San Jose (7%). For Rio del Mar, the middle household income is $160,000. Jobs in Rio del Mar grew by 167 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 1,263. Most working residents leave Rio del Mar for work: only 6% work in town.
6%work in town
| Rio del Mar | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $160,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 2.3% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Rio del Mar6%
Santa Cruz10%
Watsonville9%
San Jose7%
Live Oak5%
12 mi
median commute distance
1,263
jobs based in Rio del Mar
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 67% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Rio del Mar has mild winters and pleasant summers
The Santa Cruz weather station, 7 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°.
The midsummer high for Rio del Mar comes to 72°F. Snow almost never falls.
73°summer high
| Rio del Mar | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 72°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 42°F | 40°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter42–61°
Spring47–66°
Summer54–72°
Fall50–70°
Dec 13
typical first frost
Jan 29
typical last frost
+1.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
73°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsA
Open space protected for good: 10.4% of Rio del Mar
Across 7 parks and preserves: 2.0 miles of trail. Rio del Mar’s concentration of trails is 0.4 miles per square mile.
#563for trails in CA
10.4%
conserved · 306 of 2,937 acres
2.0 mi
of trails · 0.4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Seascape Park | 0.7 mi | 7 |
| 2. Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary | — | 967 |
| 3. Seascape Uplands Preserve | — | 135 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HousingCost of living grade D−
The median home in Rio del Mar sells for about $1.22M
At 12 years of the Santa Cruz metro’s $111K median household income, the typical home costs more against local pay than in 86% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $8,403, against $5,124 across California, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The going rate for rent in Rio del Mar is $3,407 a month. In Rio del Mar, 75% of households own their home. Homes sold in Rio del Mar spent a median 40 days on the market.
$1.22Mmedian sale price
| Rio del Mar | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,407 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 75% | 64% | 73% |
Market temperature
40
days on market
96.5%
sale-to-list price
11
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Rio del Mar
17pages on Rio del Mar
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Rio del Mar
Cabrillo CollegeCommunity college · Public · Aptos3.1 mi$1,270 in-state tuitionFive Branches UniversityUniversity or college · Private for-profit · Santa Cruz6.3 miUniversity of California-Santa CruzUniversity or college · Public · Santa Cruz9.9 mi$16,005 in-state tuition
About 6 of every 100 Rio del Mar residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
About Rio del Mar
Place in California, United States
Rio del Mar (Spanish: Río del Mar, meaning "River of the Sea") is an unincorporated village in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. Rio del Mar is one of several small villages that form the unincorporated community of Aptos. Its population was 9,128 as of the 2020 United States census. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Rio del Mar as a census-designated place (CDP).
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 144 ft
Rio del Mar’s neighbors
3 towns share a border with Rio del Mar.
La Selva BeachSeacliffAptosRio del Mar
How the neighbors grade
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rio del Mar | #326 | C+ | D− | — | C | A |
| La Selva Beach | — | — | D− | — | C | B |
| Seacliff | #350 | C | D− | — | C | A |
| Aptos | #260 | C+ | D | — | C | A |
La Selva Beach has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Rio del Mar, La Selva Beach, Seacliff and Aptos report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Rio del Mar with a neighbor →
Questions about Rio del Mar
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Rio del Mar, CA a good place to live?
Rio del Mar grades C+ overall, better than 36% of U.S. towns and #326 of 841 in California. It grades A for health and C for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Rio del Mar, CA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $1,338,000, 76% 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−.