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Compare towns

Watsonville vs Corralitos

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (15.4× in Watsonville) and size (27.4× in Watsonville).

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Watsonville, CAAn outdoors townCalifornia · 51,712 people
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Corralitos, CAOne of the healthiest townsCalifornia · 1,884 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $6,560 more a month in Corralitos

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Watsonville$4,760/mo
Typical home $824K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.64% · or rent about $1,889/mo · Housing →
Corralitos$11,320/mo
Typical home $2M (Census) · tax rate 0.50%+ · or rent about $2,218/mo · Housing →

The difference: $6,560 a month, about $78,800 a year, between Corralitos and Watsonville.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value; “+” means the Census top-codes that town’s bill at $10,000, so its real rate is higher.

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every California ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Where they are

Watsonville and Corralitos share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

WatsonvilleCorralitosWatsonvilleCorralitos
Watsonville ↔ Corralitos5.3 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
115 Corralitos residents work in Watsonville (12.2% of its workers)
Work & commute in Corralitos →
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
WatsonvilleCorralitos
Snow a year0″0″
January low40°F41°F
July high71°F74°F
Growing season (days)324d323d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)97th99th
Outdoors & history
WatsonvilleCorralitos
Trails3 mi4 mi
Conserved land11.6%1.2%
Settled1868—
National Register places8—
Archive photos12—
Community
WatsonvilleCorralitos
Library hours a week48 hrs—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

WatsonvilleCorralitos
People
Population 51,712Highest 1,884Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +2.7%Highest CA: +6.1% +0.7%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 33.8±1.2Lowest 11% below CA 56±11.1Highest 48% above CA
Kids under 18 29.1%±1.7Highest CA: 22% 8.8%±5.4Lowest CA: 22%
Age 65+ 13%±1.2Lowest CA: 15.7% 31.6%±13.4Highest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 12.4%Lowest CA: 37.1% 40.7%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.5%±0.9Highest CA: 7.6% 3%±2.7Lowest CA: 7.6%
Watsonville and Corralitos are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $78,393±$6kLowest 21% below CA $171,113±$36kHighest 73% above CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $686,000±$25kLowest 7% below CA $2,000,001Highest 172% above CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,889±$100Lowest 7% below CA $2,218±$1kHighest 9% above CA
Corralitos and Watsonville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,375Lowest 15% below CA $10,000+Highest at least 95% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 55.1%±5Highest CA: 55.3% 38.2%±38Lowest CA: 55.3%
Watsonville and Corralitos are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 14.7%Highest CA: 12% 7.4%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 44.8%Lowest CA: 55.9% 79.6%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1977Lowest 1 yr newer than CA 1980Highest 4 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 26 minHighest 9% below CA 21 minLowest 25% below CA
Work from home 6.4%±1.5Lowest CA: 17.2% 14.9%±8.1Highest CA: 17.2%
Corralitos and Watsonville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 22%Highest 2.1%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 15.3 miHighest 12.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.87Highest 0.51Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Santa Cruz (8%)Watsonville (12%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Corralitos12% work in Watsonville
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 11.6%Highest 1.2%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 3.2 miLowest 4.1 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.5 mi 0.5 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 23Highest 2Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 128Highest 8.3Lowest
Schools
School district Ceiba College Preparatory Academy District · Watsonville Prep DistrictPajaro Valley Unified
High school in town Watsonville HighNone in town
Students per teacherat that high school 23.5 —
California average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Watsonville neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Watsonville’s Town Square.

Corralitos neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Corralitos’s Town Square.

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Bordering Watsonville

Towns like Watsonville

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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