Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County is a federally qualified health center (FQHC) in California and a Health Center Program awardee, funded in part by Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act. Its service delivery sites include Santa Cruz and Watsonville. In 2025 it served 16,608 patients, up 3.2% from 16,091 in 2024. 9.2% of its patients were uninsured, compared with 9.3% across California health centers and 17.2% nationally.
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16,608Patients served, 2025
9.2%of patients uninsured
70.3%of patients on Medicaid/CHIP
$3,355Total accrued cost per patient
Santa Cruz County compared with California and the nation, 2025
| Measure | Santa Cruz County | California health centers | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patients | |||
| Children under 18 | 14.6% | 27.7% | 28.6% |
| Adults 65 and older | 17.3% | 11.7% | 12.8% |
| At or below 200% of the federal poverty guideline | 97.0% | 93.8% | 90.0% |
| Insurance status | |||
| Uninsured | 9.2% | 9.3% | 17.2% |
| Medicaid / CHIP | 70.3% | 71.8% | 47.9% |
| Medicare | 17.3% | 8.8% | 11.6% |
| Private insurance | 3.2% | 10.0% | 23.0% |
| Cost | |||
| Total accrued cost per patient | $3,355 | $2,155 | $1,672 |
| Clinical quality | |||
| Cervical cancer screening | 69.2% | 61.7% | 57.0% |
| Colorectal cancer screening | 48.1% | 44.4% | 44.9% |
| Breast cancer screening | 67.4% | 59.4% | 56.0% |
| Controlling high blood pressure | 70.0% | 68.4% | 69.1% |
| Diabetes: HbA1c poor control (lower is better) | 19.1% | 26.5% | 26.3% |
| Depression screening and follow-up | 68.3% | 71.2% | 75.3% |
| Childhood immunization status | 30.0% | 29.2% | 29.5% |
| Tobacco screening and cessation | 79.8% | 85.6% | 84.8% |
| Statin therapy for cardiovascular disease | 82.0% | 78.9% | 79.0% |
Patients by service
| Service | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Medical | 13,612 |
| Dental | 2,804 |
| Mental health | 3,405 |
Trends, 2016–2025
| Year | Patients | Cost per patient | Uninsured | Medicaid/CHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 16,608 | $3,355 | 9.2% | 70.3% |
| 2024 | 16,091 | $3,327 | 8.0% | 72.1% |
| 2023 | 15,233 | $3,504 | 20.7% | 60.2% |
| 2022 | 14,996 | $2,982 | 22.7% | 58.5% |
| 2021 | 14,105 | $2,958 | 22.2% | 57.7% |
| 2020 | 13,284 | – | 24.9% | 56.3% |
| 2019 | 15,715 | – | 24.2% | 57.4% |
| 2018 | 16,376 | – | 20.2% | 62.2% |
| 2017 | 16,481 | – | 17.2% | 65.4% |
| 2016 | 17,016 | – | 20.6% | 61.7% |
Explore Santa Cruz County in the dashboard. It opens with this health center already
selected, so you can chart its ten-year trends against state, national and peer-group benchmarks, and see its service
area on a map and its payer, age, diagnosis and service-line mix.
Open Santa Cruz County in the dashboard
Open Santa Cruz County in the dashboard