Santa Cruz County, CA jobs, unemployment and layoffs

Santa Cruz County economy

• 5.1%

  unemployment, Sep 2026

  5.4% the month before

• 138,703

  in the labor force

  Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics

• 266,021

  people in Santa Cruz County

  Source: U.S. Census Bureau

• $109,266

  median household income

  Source: Census ACS

• 48%

  of workers in white-collar occupations

  Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS

Santa Cruz County outlook: Steady

Built from public Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census figures. It describes the area, not any one employer in it.

• Private-sector jobs down 0.9% from 2022 to 2025
• Population down 4.7% from 2020 to 2025
• Unemployment 5.1%, down 0.3 points from a year ago
• Sectors adding the most jobs: health care (+2,284 jobs), agriculture (+747 jobs)
• Sectors losing the most jobs: admin & staffing (−989 jobs), other services (−740 jobs)

Local job-market news

Recent headlines about layoffs, AI and jobs in Santa Cruz County. Each link goes to the publisher.

• Letter to the editor: Watsonville is losing labor and delivery; the community deserves a planLookout Local Santa Cruz · Nov 5, 2026
• Funding cuts to medical care signal a tenuous future for local patients and hospitals.Monterey County NOW · Oct 29, 2026
• Watsonville Community Hospital board to consider closing maternity services, NICU at Wednesday meetingLookout Local Santa Cruz · Oct 26, 2026
• Watsonville Hospital considers closing mother-baby services, as possible closure within one year loomsThe Pajaronian · Oct 23, 2026
• Watsonville hospital holds community meeting amid potential closure of labor, delivery departmentSanta Cruz Sentinel · Oct 23, 2026
• Watsonville hospital faces possible closure as it loses $86,000 a dayKSBW Channel 8 on MSN · Oct 23, 2026
• Watsonville Hospital to hold community meeting amid potential closure of maternity servicesSanta Cruz Local · Oct 16, 2026
• Another view of Watsonville Community Hospital’s financesThe Pajaronian · Oct 2, 2026

Learn and get funded in Santa Cruz County

• Which AI skills each kind of job asks for, with the pay premium.
• Your local workforce board and American Job Centers: training vouchers and re-employment help.
• Grants and funding for job seekers, ranked for your state and situation.
• Unemployment benefits by state, if you are between jobs.

Santa Cruz County layoffs

• 3

  Layoff notices, last 12 months

• 87

  workers named

  A floor: states may leave out counts

• 2

  employers

All layoff notices in the state

Employers hiring most in Santa Cruz County

Employers with the most open professional roles in this county’s cities. The county is taken from each job’s city, so roles with no city are not counted.

1. Joby Aviation36 open roles
2. Heron Power13 open roles
3. Granite Construction11 open roles
4. Capstan Medical4 open roles
5. HP3 open roles
6. Pyramid Global Hospitality3 open roles
7. Albertsons Companies2 open roles
8. Commonspirit Health2 open roles
9. Memorial Hospital Logansport2 open roles
10. Safeway2 open roles

Colleges in Santa Cruz County

Workforce development and job centers

The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Santa Cruz County. They offer free help with job search, training and filing for benefits.

Laid off in California? How to file for unemployment in California (steps, weekly amount and the appeal deadline).

• Santa Cruz County Workforce Development Board

  Santa Cruz

• Capitola Career Center - America`s Job Center of California (AJCC)

  Capitola · Affiliate · 831-464-6286

  Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 5:00pm

• SCCOE - Suenos Youth Program Services

  Freedom · Affiliate · 831-466-5672

  Monday-Friday 9a.m.-5p.m.

• Santa Cruz County, Workforce, Watsonville Career Center

  Watsonville · Comprehensive · 831-763-8933

  Monday - Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm Closed 12:00 noon - 1pm

Cities in Santa Cruz County

Other California counties