How much do Recreation Workers make in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

Percentile spread

For Recreation Workers, the published 10th percentile is $36,690 and the 90th percentile is $56,690. The difference is $20,000, which is 52.2% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $37,330 to the 75th at $47,000, covers $9,670.

The mean annual wage is $43,410, which sits above the median of $38,340. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA median is 4.9% higher than the national median of $36,560 for Recreation Workers. In 2024 national prices the local median is $34,888, which is 4.6% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 3.6% lower than the California median of $39,780.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA is 109.896, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $38,340 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Recreation Workers at $34,888 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

17 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Recreation Workers. Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA ranks 8th of 18 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

• San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA is 36 miles away, with a median of $57,580 and employment of 2,620. That median is 50.2% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $52,145, against $34,888 here.
• San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA is 55 miles away, with a median of $46,290 and employment of 6,510. That median is 20.7% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $40,039, against $34,888 here.
• Salinas, CA is 66 miles away, with a median of $38,260 and employment of 550. That median is 0.2% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $35,087, against $34,888 here.

Employment share

Recreation Workers accounts for 0.28% of wage-and-salary employment in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA (280 of 98,500). Nationally the occupation is 0.21% of employment (331,490 of 155,495,730). The local share is 1.33 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.