Capitola, California
2026 Edition · 10 cards · data as of Oct 30, 2026
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Population
Down 5.8% since 2020.
9,340
people, the 381st-largest of California's cities and towns.
Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among California's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates
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The workday
9 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.
93.7%
of 5,575 jobs located in Capitola are filled by in-commuters.
Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES
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Rent
Median rent is up 86% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.
$2,512
a month. California's median is $2,036.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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The seam
Cross one tract line and median rent doubles.
A $2,323 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Santa Cruz County.
- $927 Tract 1211
- $3,250 Tract 1210
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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Room to build
The median rent is above what local wages can carry.
$906–$1,359
is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.
- $2,512 median
Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year
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Building
Most of the housing here is older than 2000.
- 76 homes permitted, 2022–2025
- 53% of those were in multifamily buildings
- 86% of all homes were built before 2000
Census Building Permits Survey, 2022–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year
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Units needed
Closing the gap would add 0.3–1.1% to the 5,160 homes here.
18–56
is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.
Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac
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Home value
A median home costs 7% more than California's.
$783,000
median home value in Capitola.
- $783,000 Capitola
- $734,700 California
- $332,700 U.S.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year