Quick answer: The Santa Cruz metro employs about 1,770 general and operations managers (BLS OEWS, May 2025), and licensing is set at the state level, through your state contractor licensing board if you intend to contract.
Compare business and management programs enrolling now:
Licensing
Licensing is a state matter, not a city one. Management is not a licensed occupation and no board issues a permit to run a business. What is licensed is the trade underneath a contracting firm, and those rules differ substantially between states. On the academic side the recognized programmatic accreditors are AACSB, ACBSP and IACBE.
See the California licensing and pay overview for the statewide picture, and confirm current requirements with your state contractor licensing board if you intend to contract.
Schools Near You
Schools in our database near this area, ranked by BOC Score. The list favors schools with a related program on record, but program availability and delivery format change, so confirm directly with any school that it currently offers the program you want.
How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention.
Advertising plays no part.
This page lists 10 schools
within 27 miles, closest group first, then ordered by
BOC Score with the highest at the top.
10 of them carry a score.
LOCAL RANK
Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal
about the institution rather than about this subject.
Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from
this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
What General and Operations Managers Earn in Santa Cruz
General and Operations Managers in the Santa Cruz area earn a median $105,360 per year, below the national median of $105,770 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Business and Management Pay in Santa Cruz, CA
Metric
Santa Cruz metro
California
National
Median annual wage
$105,360
$124,390
$105,770
10th percentile
$55,690
$60,370
$50,090
25th percentile
$74,670
$81,620
$72,320
75th percentile
$158,060
$186,230
$167,280
90th percentile
$217,340
$293,810
$253,390
Employment
1,770
300,840
3,503,020
Location quotient
0.8
-
1.00
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Metro figures cover the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metropolitan statistical area.
What the Numbers Say About This Market
The Santa Cruz median of $105,360 is below the national median of $105,770, and below the California statewide median of $124,390 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The metro’s location quotient of 0.8 means general and operations managers are less concentrated here than in the average U.S. labor market (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Higher concentration generally means more employers competing for the same people, and an easier job change later.
Management roles follow the local employer base rather than any one industry, which is why this occupation has a published wage in almost every metro in the country.
Wage and employment figures describe the occupation as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, not the graduates of any particular program, and individual outcomes may vary. Licensing rules change; confirm current requirements with the responsible state board before enrolling.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do general and operations managers make in Santa Cruz?
The median annual wage for general and operations managers in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area is $105,360, below the national median of $105,770 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
How many general and operations managers work in the Santa Cruz area?
The Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area employs about 1,770 general and operations managers (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Do general and operations managers in Santa Cruz need a license?
Licensing is handled at state level rather than by city. Management is not a licensed occupation and no board issues a permit to run a business. What is licensed is the trade underneath a contracting firm, and those rules differ substantially between states. On the academic side the recognized programmatic accreditors are AACSB, ACBSP and IACBE. Confirm current requirements with your state contractor licensing board if you intend to contract.
Can I study business and management online from Santa Cruz?
The academic portion of these programs is widely available online for working adults, while labs, clinical hours or supervised field work are completed in person. Check that the program's accreditation satisfies your state contractor licensing board if you intend to contract.
Is Santa Cruz a better market than the rest of California?
The Santa Cruz metro median is $105,360 against a statewide median of $124,390 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Compare that gap with the difference in living costs before treating it as a raise.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 - General and Operations Managers (SOC 11-1021), national, state and metropolitan estimates
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2024-34
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook - education and licensing requirements
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
