Santa Cruz has 0.0 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
There are 1 jobs in Santa Cruz; 144 of its residents have a job. Commuters spend 19 minutes getting to work on average; New Mexico averages 24, the U.S. 26. Home is the office for 0% of workers (New Mexico 12%).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
In and out of Santa Cruz on a workday
On a workday 144 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 1 people come in from elsewhere.
About 85 people are in Santa Cruz on a workday afternoon, 63% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
20% of working residents work in Española
Where Santa Cruz clocks in
20% of workers
18% of workers
17% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Mostly services: health care, schools and offices
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Santa Cruz, 2013 → 2023: 6 → 1. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Santa Cruz’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 19 minutes each way for Santa Cruz’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Santa Cruz workers work from home, vs 12% across New Mexico. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 90 commuters (the 0% who work from home are left out). Across New Mexico: 84% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Short hops and long hauls from Santa Cruz
About 27% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Work next door: 20% of Santa Cruz’s workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Santa Cruz workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz | – | — | — | 19 min | $33,750 |
| Española | 20% | C− | B− | 31 min | $47,667 |
| Cuartelez | under 1% | B+ | C− | 31 min | $114,151 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Española. Darker towns draw more of Santa Cruz’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Santa Cruz: questions
What is the median household income in Santa Cruz?
$33,750 (±$5,812) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $64,059 across New Mexico and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Santa Cruz?
31.1%, against 17.8% across New Mexico and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Santa Cruz?
19 minutes each way on average, against 24 across New Mexico and 26 nationally. 0% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Santa Cruz work?
0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Española (20%, 2 mi), Los Alamos (18%, 16 mi), Santa Fe (17%, 23 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Santa Cruz without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 12% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Santa Cruz, from the people who make the trip.
More of Santa Cruz
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer.