Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 10,679, settled in 1857.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Soquel grades B overall, 161st of 841 graded towns in California. Residents are healthier than 89% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and its schools outperform 76% of the state's. The trade-off is money: homes are expensive, about $1.4 million for a typical one and 12.2 times the Santa Cruz metro’s $111K median household income. Soquel’s typical home value is $1,356,000, where California’s towns sit at $709,000 and U.S. towns at $332,000. Soquel is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 86% of U.S. towns. Anna Jean Cummings Park, at 82 acres with 3.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Soquel beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Soquel is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 328 in 1880, 9,980 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1879 and 6 maps from 1912 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Soquel. Close and well known come first.
Big draw28 mi Stadium & arenaLevi's Stadium
Big draw28 mi Theme parkCalifornia's Great America
23 mi Stadium & arenaSAP Center
5 mi Theme parkSanta Cruz Beach Boardwalk
26 mi Zoo & aquariumMonterey Bay Aquarium
28 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 · Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk: Josta Photo, CC BY 2.0 · Monterey Bay Aquarium: Meij.kobayashi, Public domain · Monterey Museum of Art: Sgerbic, CC BY-SA 4.0
Soquel 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 Soquel.
Soquel 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 12.2 years of the Santa Cruz metro’s $111K median household income, the typical home (about $1.36M) 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 rent in Soquel is $2,266 a month. Typical home values rose 7% in the year to September 2026. The typical Soquel home is worth about $1,356,000, up 7% in a year, 78% above the California typical home.
| Soquel | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,266 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Santa Cruz City High school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Soquel High, with 1,074 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Street ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 383 | – |
| Soquel HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,074 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests
6.8 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. Soquel’s trail density is 1.5 miles per square mile.
| Soquel | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.5 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.3% | 4.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Anna Jean Cummings Park | 3.2 mi | 82 |
| 2. The Farm Park and Community Center | — | 5 |
| 3. Willowbrook Park | 0.1 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with California is tooth loss: 5.3% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 10.6% statewide.
25% of adults have obesity in Soquel. Soquel beats the California average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 31% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Soquel.
| Soquel | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 29% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 35% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 24% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.3% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Soquel | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.3% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.2% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.6% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 93% of U.S. communities. Since 2016, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Soquel.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Santa Cruz weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 323 days, longer than in 96% of U.S. towns. January nights average 42.2°, milder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 70.6°.
Soquel has warm winters and cool summers. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Soquel | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 71°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 42°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Soquel has about as many jobs (3,335) as working residents, but only 249 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Soquel for work: only 6% work in town. The top destinations are Santa Cruz (16%), San Jose (7%) and Live Oak (6%). Half commute less than 12 miles.
| Soquel | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $119,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 16% | 14% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
3 within 15 miles of the center of Soquel
About 10 of every 100 Soquel residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Census-designated place in California, United States
Soquel (; Ohlone: Sokel) is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Cruz County, California, United States, located on the northern coast of Monterey Bay. The population was 9,980 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Soquel.
It grades higher overall than all 3 graded towns on its borders; Live Oak (B−) comes closest.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soquel | #161 | B | D− | — | A− | A |
| Live Oak | #211 | B− | D− | — | B+ | B+ |
| Capitola | #305 | C+ | D | C− | A− | A− |
| Aptos | #260 | C+ | D | — | C | A |
Soquel, Live Oak and Aptos report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Soquel with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Soquel grades B overall, better than 55% of U.S. towns and #161 of 841 in California. It grades A for health and A− 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−.
