Housing data for Rio del Mar, CA
Rio del Mar, CA has an estimated 9,201 residents and 4,856 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is an unincorporated community in Santa Cruz County.
24.8% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $3,407 a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 9,201 (±880)
- Housing units
- 4,856 (±357)
- Households that rent
- 24.8%
- Median gross rent
- $3,407
- Residents since 2015–2019
- −4.7%
What stands out in Rio del Mar
Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 2.4% (±1.5 points) in Rio del Mar, lower than in Santa Cruz County (12.9%).
Median gross rent: $3,407 (±$326) in Rio del Mar, higher than in Santa Cruz County ($2,264).
Median household income: $159,929 (±$26,135) in Rio del Mar, higher than in Santa Cruz County ($111,093).
Working from home: 30.2% (±8.5 points) in Rio del Mar, higher than in Santa Cruz County (19.3%).
- Types of homes in Rio del Mar
- Median rent in Rio del Mar
- Income and affordability in Rio del Mar
- Commute and cars in Rio del Mar
Housing in Rio del Mar at a glance
- Median rent: $3,407 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $3,015 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 50.8% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 24.8% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $159,929 median household income
- Home values: $1,338,100 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $4,000 or more median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $8,403 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 2.4% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 70.4% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 71.1% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 8.5% rental vacancy rate
- Heating fuel: 73.9% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 30.0 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: −4.7% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 16.7% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 2.1% of homes have more than 1 person per room
Rio del Mar against Santa Cruz County, its state and the nation
| Rio del Mar | Santa Cruz County | California | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 9,201 (±880) | 264,926 (exact) | 39,287,377 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 4,856 (±357) | 106,977 (±177) | 14,644,735 (±1,665) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 24.8% (±5.2 points) | 40.1% (±1.1 points) | 44.1% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $3,407 (±$326) | $2,264 (±$51) | $2,036 (±$5) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $159,929 (±$26,135) | $111,093 (±$2,734) | $99,122 (±$310) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $1,338,100 (±$137,763) | $1,027,500 (±$15,133) | $734,700 (±$1,307) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $8,403 (±$1,000) | $6,538 (±$166) | $5,124 (±$17) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 71.1% (±7.8 points) | 63.5% (±1.9 points) | 56.0% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 30.0 minutes (±3.0) | 25.7 minutes (±0.6) | 28.7 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 96.5% (±3.2 points) | 94.2% (±0.7 points) | 93.5% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 51.4 years (±2.3) | 39.8 years (±0.3) | 37.9 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Rio del Mar covers 3.0 square miles of land, about 3,067 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Rio del Mar has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 9,657 (±750) | 9,201 (±880) | −4.7% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 5,029 (±210) | 4,856 (±357) | −3.4% | Not a measurable change |
| Median gross rent | $2,235 (±$196) | $3,407 (±$326) | +52.4% | Up after inflation |
| Median home value | $927,400 (±$27,827) | $1,338,100 (±$137,763) | +44.3% | Up after inflation |
| Median household income | $104,416 (±$5,558) | $159,929 (±$26,135) | +53.2% | Up after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $7,250 (±$508) | $8,403 (±$1,000) | +15.9% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 27.3% (±4.0 points) | 24.8% (±5.2 points) | −2.5 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 3.1% (±3.4 points) | 8.5% (±7.7 points) | +5.4 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Santa Cruz County
Rio del Mar has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Santa Cruz County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Santa Cruz County recorded 320 violent and 1,334 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
Places near Rio del Mar
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seacliff | 2.3 mi | $2,462 | $1,143,600 | 47.3% |
| Aptos | 2.3 mi | $2,059 | $1,093,300 | 28.9% |
| Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley | 2.8 mi | $3,500 or more | $1,185,000 | 21.1% |
| La Selva Beach | 3.1 mi | $3,379 | $1,325,700 | 21.6% |
| Capitola | 4.0 mi | $2,512 | $783,000 | 47.8% |
| Soquel | 4.5 mi | $2,266 | $957,300 | 27.3% |
| Pleasure Point | 4.7 mi | $2,705 | $1,183,600 | 40.5% |
| Day Valley | 4.9 mi | $1,669 | $1,279,300 | 16.5% |
Places in California most like Rio del Mar
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Selva Beach | $3,379 | $1,325,700 | $160,833 | 21.6% |
| Black Point-Green Point | $3,131 | $1,701,200 | $168,438 | 14.7% |
| San Martin | $2,613 | $1,430,600 | $158,250 | 22.2% |
| East Foothills | $3,321 | $1,346,100 | $199,375 | 13.7% |
| Montara | $3,032 | $1,580,700 | $233,826 | 21.8% |
| Cerritos | $2,930 | $935,300 | $135,439 | 24.1% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across California.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Rio del Mar, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $3,230 | $3,390 | $4,254 | $5,531 | $5,748 |
HUD income limits for Rio del Mar, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $45,700 | $76,150 | $122,200 |
| 2 people | $52,200 | $87,000 | $139,650 |
| 3 people | $58,750 | $97,900 | $157,100 |
| 4 people | $65,250 | $108,750 | $174,550 |
| 5 people | $70,500 | $117,450 | $188,500 |
| 6 people | $75,700 | $126,150 | $202,500 |
| 7 people | $80,950 | $134,850 | $216,450 |
| 8 people | $86,150 | $143,550 | $230,450 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA MSA, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $137,200.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Rio del Mar is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Rio del Mar
What is the average rent in Rio del Mar, CA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Rio del Mar is $3,407 (±$326) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a two-bedroom apartment in Rio del Mar?
The median gross rent for a two-bedroom home in Rio del Mar, CA is $3,015 (±$350) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Rio del Mar rent-burdened?
50.8% of renting households in Rio del Mar pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Rio del Mar?
Rio del Mar has an estimated 942 (±203) renting households, 24.8% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Rio del Mar?
The median household income in Rio del Mar is $159,929 (±$26,135) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Rio del Mar, CA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $1,338,100 (±$137,763) for owner-occupied homes in Rio del Mar (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Rio del Mar growing?
In Rio del Mar, the number of residents went from 9,657 in 2015–2019 to 9,201 in 2020–2024 (−4.7%), not a measurable change.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Rio del Mar CDP, California
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Rio del Mar CDP, California
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Rio del Mar CDP, California
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Rio del Mar CDP, California
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Rio del Mar CDP, California
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Rio del Mar CDP, California
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Rio del Mar CDP, California
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA MSA
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA MSA
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Rio del Mar CDP, California (place:60928, in state:06).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .