Home Insurance in Santa Cruz, California
With a median home value of $1,209,000, Santa Cruz is 18% higher than the Santa Cruz County median.
The typical home in Santa Cruz was built around 1970. Older homes can cost more to insure or rebuild because of aging wiring, roofing and plumbing. About 39% of homes were built before 1960, about 11 points above Santa Cruz County's 29%.
The housing stock in Santa Cruz is 65% single-family homes, 21% apartments in buildings with 5+ units and 2% mobile or manufactured homes. The rest are 2-4 unit or other housing types.
About 62% of owner-occupied homes in Santa Cruz have a mortgage. Lenders require hazard (homeowners) insurance on any home carrying a mortgage.
About 48% of occupied homes in Santa Cruz are owner-occupied. The vacancy rate is 9%; vacant or unoccupied homes typically need a different coverage form than an owner-occupied policy.
Most homes in Santa Cruz - 68% - are primarily heated with natural gas.
Santa Cruz County's top FEMA-rated hazard is earthquake (Relatively High), per FEMA's National Risk Index. Santa Cruz County had 3,226 active NFIP flood policies as of September 2026. See the full Santa Cruz County home insurance overview for all FEMA hazard ratings and flood coverage details. Earthquake damage is excluded from a standard homeowners policy.
According to the NAIC homeowners insurance report (2023 data), a standard HO-3 homeowners policy in California carries a statewide average premium of $1,655 per year.
Key figures
| Median home value | $1,209,000 |
|---|---|
| Median year built | 1970 |
| Owner-occupied share | 48% |
| Share of owner-occupied homes with a mortgage | 62% |
| Top county hazard | Earthquake (Relatively High) |
| Active NFIP policies in Santa Cruz County | 3,226 |
| Home insurance premium | $1,655 - statewide average (NAIC, 2023 data) |
Nearby towns
Sources
Data last updated: 2026-09-29
- U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer Files (2024)
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates (2024)
- FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025)
- FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Policies v3 (2026)
- NAIC Dwelling Fire, Homeowners Owner-Occupied, and Homeowners Tenant and Condominium/Cooperative Unit Owners Insurance: Data for 2023 (published 2026) (2023)