NAICS 52

Finance and Insurance in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA

Metro Market Score 61.0 (Difficult), ranked #251 of 331 metros. 247 establishments, 1,642 jobs.

Metro Market Score 61.0

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national finance and insurance average.

💰High-Cost Market

Finance and Insurance employment in Santa Cruz-Watsonville contracted year-over-year, placing the growth trend in the bottom quartile at 4.2. Declining job counts can indicate consolidation, population shifts, or reduced local demand. Due diligence on the local economy is especially important here.

Industry Concentration

12.1

LQ: 0.39

Rank #40 of 331 metros

Wage Competitiveness

84.0

$112,460 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 4.2

Employment growth index

Rank #318 of 331 metros

Wage Pressure

41.4

YoY wage change index

247 Finance and Insurance Firms in Santa Cruz-Watsonville

247

Establishments

-4.6% YoY

1,642

Total Employment

-12.7% YoY

$112,460

Average Annual Wage

+4.4% YoY

0.39

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within California

#19 of 24

finance and insurance metros in state

California state rank

#12 of 51

for finance and insurance entry risk

vs State Median

+11.6

worse than median (49.4)

Santa Cruz-Watsonville vs California Statewide

How this metro's finance and insurance market compares to California overall. The state ranks #12/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Santa Cruz-Watsonville	CA Statewide
Overall Score	61.0 Difficult	46.9 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#251 of 331 metros	#12 of 51 states

Metro and state scores use different methodologies (metro has 4 QCEW-based metrics; state adds BDS survival and momentum data). Direct score comparisons are approximate.

Other Industries in Santa Cruz-Watsonville

Information 31.9 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 44.3 Construction 47.5 Healthcare and Social Assistance 49.2 Administrative and Support Services 54.0 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 62.6 Retail Trade 64.7 Other Services 78.6 Accommodation and Food Services 83.7

Finance and Insurance in Other California Metros

Bakersfield-Delano 19.0 #5/331 El Centro 28.6 #36/331 Redding 32.8 #63/331 Merced 34.4 #73/331 Visalia 39.7 #101/331 Fresno 42.2 #121/331 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara 42.6 #124/331 Vallejo 43.3 #130/331 Napa 43.5 #131/331 Modesto 43.8 #135/331

+ 13 more metros. View all in California →

Finance and Insurance Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Santa Cruz-Watsonville's 61.0 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL 60.9 #250/331 Burlington, NC 61.4 #252/331 Boulder, CO 61.4 #253/331 Wausau, WI 60.6 #249/331 Fort Wayne, IN 61.4 #254/331 Lafayette, LA 60.6 #248/331 Bellingham, WA 61.5 #255/331 Salt Lake City-Murray, UT 61.8 #256/331 Anchorage, AK 61.9 #257/331 Dubuque, IA 60.1 #247/331

Finance and Insurance in States Bordering California

State-level entry risk for finance and insurance in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

Arizona 52.6 #29/51 Nevada 55.6 #38/51 Oregon 56.7 #41/51

Browse Finance and Insurance in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for finance and insurance across all 51 markets, sorted by rank.

About Metro Market Score: A weighted composite of industry concentration (25%), wage competitiveness (25%), wage pressure (20%), and employment growth trend (30%). Lower scores indicate more favorable conditions. For Santa Cruz-Watsonville's finance and insurance sector, the employment growth component (95.8) has the strongest pull on the composite. Metro scores use QCEW data only (no BDS survival data at metro level). Read full methodology →

Data Sources

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Bureau of Labor Statistics. MSA-level establishment counts, employment, wages, and location quotients for the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment