Market Intelligence

Santa Cruz County, CA

Banking market profile · FDIC Summary of Deposits (SOD), June 30, 2025

Santa Cruz County, California, a core county of the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA market, holds $7.7B in deposits across 9 insured institutions and 38 branches. Wells Fargo Bank, National Association is the largest deposit holder at 26.6% share. The top three banks hold 61% of deposits, which places the county in the Concentrated band. Deposits have grown 4.4% since 2020 while the branch count fell by 13.6%. It produces $16.7B of output, ranking #243 of the 1,523 ranked counties by economic output.

Economic scale
2024 Real GDP
$16.7B
#243 of 1,523
Population
258,852
#284 of 1,523
GDP per Capita
$64,564
#266 of 1,523
Deposit market
Deposits (SOD, 6/30/25)
$7.7B
#240 of 1,523
Deposits per Capita
$29,897
#394 of 1,523
Deposits per Branch
$204M
#94 of 1,523
Competitive structure
Insured Institutions
9
#808 of 1,523
Branches per 100k Pop.
14.7
#1,307 of 1,523
Median Deposits per Institution
$750M
The median deposits booked by a single institution in the county. #17 of 1,523. A lower figure means institutions typically hold smaller deposit positions here; it reflects local deposit presence, not an institution’s overall size. See Community & Regional Bank Share for institution scale.
Community & Regional Bank Share
28.5%
of county deposits held by banks with $100M to $100B in assets. #1,372 of 1,523. A higher share points to a market where small to mid-size institutions, the kind that compete on relationships and local decision-making, hold more ground.
Top-3 Banks’ Deposit Share: Concentrated
61%
The combined deposit share of the top three banks by deposits in the county. A lower share means deposits are spread across more institutions.

Ranks show where the county stands among the 1,523 ranked counties (those within a Combined or Metropolitan Statistical Area that have a branch). They describe relative position, not a rating of market quality or suitability.

Deposit trend

County Deposits (SOD, 2020 to 2025)+4.4% over 5 years
$7.4B
2020
$8.4B
2021
$8.9B
2022
$8.2B
2023
$8.1B
2024
$7.7B
2025

Branches: 44 in 2020 to 38 in 2025. Institutions: 11 to 9. Top-three share: 57% to 61%.

Institutions by deposits

InstitutionDepositsShareBranches5‑yr
deposits
Wells Fargo Bank$2.1B26.6%6+10%
JPMorgan Chase Bank$1.4B18.4%5+19%
West Coast Community Bank$1.3B16.3%5+15%
Bank of America$1.2B15.6%5+1%
Comerica Bank$750M9.7%6+4%
U.S. Bank$610M7.9%6+8%
BMO Bank$241M3.1%2-36%
Liberty Bank$102M1.3%2no 2020 presence
Mechanics Bank$92M1.2%1-24%

The 9 insured institutions with a branch presence in this county, per the FDIC Summary of Deposits, June 30, 2025. Five-year change compares the same institution’s county deposits in 2020 and 2025. Institutions are tracked by FDIC certificate number, and where an institution acquired another bank, the acquired bank’s prior deposits are folded into the baseline so the change reflects the combined, continuing franchise rather than reading as new. “No 2020 presence” means neither the institution nor a bank it later absorbed reported deposits in this county that year. Deposit figures are nominal and are not adjusted for inflation.

Part of the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland market

Santa Cruz County is one of 13 counties that make up the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA market, a Combined Statistical Area (ranked #3 of 293 U.S. markets by economic output). It produces 1.4% of the market’s output and holds 1.1% of its deposits.

MeasureSanta Cruz CountyShare of parent market
2024 GDP$16.7B1.4%
Deposits$7.7B1.1%
Population258,8522.8%

View the full San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland market profile →

Recruiting in Santa Cruz County

Deposits are held closely by the largest banks, which often means the bankers worth recruiting are inside a small number of institutions. Who holds the deposits, and how contested the market is, shapes both the runway for growth and the competition you would be recruiting against. We recruit commercial relationship managers, banking teams, and market leaders for banks building in markets like Santa Cruz County.

See how we help banks recruit commercial banking talent