Recent report exposes Santa Cruz County as most expensive in the United States

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION-TV) -- According to a report titled "2024 Out of Reach" from the National Low Income Housing Coalition , "Santa Cruz is now the "most expensive metropolitan county to live in, in the United States."

This statistic is based off of the average two-bedroom market rate rental cost, the research stated. The report also stated that California remains the most expensive state to live in based on that same average.

Housing Santa Cruz County (HSCC) responded to this information Thursday with a press release stating, "Housing Santa Cruz County remains committed to changing this trajectory."

“This news, while disheartening, is not a surprise,” says Elaine Johnson, Executive Director of HSCC. “The numbers in these reports demonstrate why we must continue to prioritize housing solutions to make progress for our communities.”

In 2021, HSCC was launched as a response to the rising housing costs in Santa Cruz, aiming to make the county a more "inclusive, thriving and sustainable community by promoting affordable, safe, stable
homes for local residents and workers," according to the press release.

HSCC stated that it has worked with a variety of the county's institutions during the recent Housing
Element planning phase to try and identify where more housing could be built in addition to
zoning laws changed to increase the number of housing.

"To help increase the number of affordable housing units, HSCC supported over 30 projects and policy proposals, resulting in the approval of over 900 new affordable homes over the past 3 years, a promising signal for how these data trends may turn the tide," stated the press release.

The press release mentioned that the most recent 2024 State of the Workforce report by Santa Cruz County’s Workforce Development Board showed that the county’s population declined from 2022 to 2023 by 2,300 residents. The report points to a reason behind the decline as a lack in affordable living among local workers, families and seniors on fixed incomes.

KION's Briana Mathaw has more on the declining county labor numbers, available here .

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