Teachers
$87,2901
average salary on the schedule, 2024-25 · 11 reporting school districts
What public jobs pay in Santa Cruz County, California
Teachers, police officers, firefighters, registered nurses, correctional officers, librarians, 911 dispatchers, social workers and water operators in Santa Cruz County: the county figure for each job and every employer with a page, from official pay records.
How much does each public job pay in Santa Cruz County?
Teachers: average salary on the county's school district schedules. Every other job: average total pay of people who worked the full year, overtime included, across all of the county's employers, where at least 5 worked the full year.
Police officers
$159,6472
average total pay, full year, 2025, 106 worked the full year · 4 police departments
- Santa Cruz$151,196
- Watsonville$177,063
- Capitola$163,429
- Scotts Valley$138,093
Firefighters
$184,5022
average total pay, full year, 2025, 75 worked the full year · 3 fire departments
- Central Fire District of Santa Cruz County$198,417
- Santa Cruz$170,855
- Watsonville$127,218
Registered nurses
$144,0612
average total pay, full year, 2025, 42 worked the full year · 2 employers
- Santa Cruz County$144,769
- University of California, Santa CruzNo average
Correctional officers
$139,9642
average total pay, full year, 2025, 80 worked the full year · 1 employer
- Santa Cruz County$139,964
Librarians
$107,2952
average total pay, full year, 2025, 53 worked the full year · 3 employers
- Santa Cruz$99,100
- University of California, Santa Cruz$125,177
- Watsonville$82,919
911 dispatchers
Fewer than 5 full-year 911 dispatchers
average total pay, full year, 2025 · 1 employer
- Santa Cruz Regional 911No average
Social workers
$109,8282
average total pay, full year, 2025, 109 worked the full year · 1 employer
- Santa Cruz County$109,828
Water operators
$116,9742
average total pay, full year, 2025, 81 worked the full year · 7 employers
- Santa Cruz$128,053
- Watsonville$108,358
- Soquel Creek Water District$103,728
- Santa Cruz County$110,676
- San Lorenzo Valley Water District$122,907
- Scotts Valley Water District$136,439
Public pay in the counties next to Santa Cruz County
Questions about public pay in Santa Cruz County
Which public job pays the most in Santa Cruz County?
Of the jobs on this page, firefighters have the highest average total pay in Santa Cruz County: $184,502 for those who worked the full year, overtime included. Police officers average $159,647, registered nurses average $144,061, correctional officers average $139,964, water operators average $116,974, social workers average $109,828 and librarians average $107,295. Teachers average $87,290 on the salary schedule, a figure without overtime or extra pay.
How much do teachers make in Santa Cruz County?
$87,290 on average on the salary schedules of Santa Cruz County's 11 reporting school districts (2024-25). Each district's figure is on the Santa Cruz County teacher page.
Sources for the Santa Cruz County figures
Pay figures other than teachers' use only people who worked roughly the full year. Every figure covers at least 5 people.
- Each district's report to the California Department of Education, Form J-90 database, 2024-25: salary schedules and full-time equivalents.
- State Controller's Office, Government Compensation in California, 2025: positions, official pay ranges and wages reported by every city, county and special district, and for nurses, correctional officers and librarians by the University of California, state departments and, for librarians, the California State University and community college districts.