Economic Profile
If the Pajaro Valley were a county, it would rank 5th in agricultural production in California. Primary crops grown include strawberries, apples, fresh flowers, cauliflower, broccoli and artichokes. Watsonville food processors freeze and distribute more fruits and vegetables than any other single area in the United States. More than $280 million a year is spent on transporting fresh and processed farm crops to worldwide destinations. More agricultural data may be found here.
While agriculture and food processing are the mainstay of the Pajaro Valley economic structure, the City’s economy has been diversifying with an influx of electronics, manufacturing and service firms, in addition to the establishment of distribution centers for non-agricultural products.
The main industries in Watsonville are agriculture, construction, and manufacturing. The City is home to several large national company headquarters within City Limits such as Driscoll’s Strawberries, Martinelli’s, California Giant, Monterey Mushrooms, Graniterock, Granite Construction, West Marine, Vendwize, and Fox Racing Shox.
Major Employers
| Year 2010 | Employer | Industry | Number of Employees |
| 1 | Pajaro Valley Unified School District | Government/Education | 2061 |
| 2 | Watsonville Community Hospital | Health & Human Services | 693 |
| 3 | Fox Racing Shox | Sporting Goods | 400 |
| 4 | City of Watsonville | Government | 374 |
| 5 | West Marine | Nautical and Maritime Equipment | 279 |
| 6 | S. Martinelli & Co. | Food Processing & Distribution | 180 |
| 7 | Target, Inc. | Retail | 211 |
| 8 | Couch Distributing | Alcoholic Beverage Distribution | 170 |
| 9 | Salud Para La Gente | Health & Human Services | 160 |
| 10 | Mi Pueblo Food Center | Grocery/Retail | 144 |
Source: City of Watsonville, Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) , June 2010
Workforce
The City, working closely with the County and local employment training providers, has developed several job training programs to meet local labor market needs. Watsonville residents easily access three institutions of higher education. The University of California, Santa Cruz is just 20 miles to the north and California State University, Monterey Bay is 20 miles to the south. Cabrillo College, the local community college, which has a newly expanded satellite in Watsonville, is a Cisco Network Academy. Links to local educational institutions may found here.Not every company has the resources or the time to train employees adequately for their jobs. Yet without training, employees cannot perform at their best. Workforce Santa Cruz County offers a variety of employment and training services to help businesses and their employees. Conveniently located in downtown Watsonville, services include employee recruitment and screening, on-the-job training, wage subsidies and retention services. Information about training providers may be found here.
Industry Employment
Santa Cruz County
(in thousands)
March 2010
Civilian Labor Force: 149.9
Civilian Employment: 127
| Category | December 2007 | March 2009 | March 2010 |
| Total All Industries | 109.6 | 98.4 | 90.8 |
| Total farm | 9.8 | 9.7 | 4.5 |
| Total Non Farm | 99.8 | 88.7 | 86.3 |
| Goods Producing | 11.7 | 8.5 | 7.8 |
| Service Producing | 88.1 | 80.3 | 78.5 |
Wages by Occupation
Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA
Q1/2009
| SOC Code | Occupation Title | Mean Hourly Wage |
Early Level Hourly Wage |
| 11-3051 | Industrial Production Managers | $47.79 | $33.43 |
| 15-1040 | Computer Support Specialists | $25.14 | $18.34 |
| 41-2031 | Salespersons, Retail | $12.27 | $8.63 |
| 43-9061 | General Office Clerks | $14.49 | $10.59 |
| 35-2021 | Food Preparations Workers | $10.27 | $8.60 |
| 43-4141 | Customer Service | $16.29 | $13.62 |
| 53-7064 | Packers and Packagers | $10.00 | $8.43 |
| Total All Occupations | $23.42 | $11.15 |
Source California Employment Department web site: www.edd.ca.gov
For customized Industry, Labor Force, and Occupation reports go towww.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov.
Transportation
Roadways
Watsonville’s central location at the junctures of Highways 1 and 129 and 152 allows easy access for ground transportation and deliveries.
Air
In addition to having its own general aviation airport, Watsonville is conveniently located within an hour of San Jose International Airport and within two hours of San Francisco International Airport. Other local general aviation airports include Monterey and Marina.
Rail
Union Pacific rails run through the West side Industrial area. At this time the closest CalTrans station is in Gilroy, 20 miles west on Highway 152. However, within the next few years, CalTrans station has plans to bring a station to Pajaro, just over the bridge from Watsonville. CalTans will provide easy computer access to the Bay Area.
Bus
A bus transit center is located near down town Watsonville. The transit center offers residents access to Greyhound, Santa Cruz Metro and Monterey-Salinas Transit bus lines.
Utilities
| Water City of Watsonville 250 Main Street Watsonville (831) 768-3133 – Service or Capacity Questions (831) 768-3455 – Account Setup/Payments |
Electric PG&E-Jose Rios 356 E. Alisal Street Salinas, CA 93901 (831) 784-3458 |
| Sewer City of Watsonville 250 Main Street Watsonville (831) 768-3133 – Service or Capacity Questions (831) 768-3455 – Account Setup/Payments |
Telephone AT&T Residential 1-800-310-2355 Business 1-800-750-2355 |
| Garbage City of Watsonville 250 Main Street Watsonville (831) 768-3133 – Service or Capacity Questions (831) 768-3455 – Account Setup/Payments |
Cable Charter Communications Customer Service (866) 731-5420 |
| November 2006 |
| 109.1 |
| 11.2 |
| 97.9 |
| 12.6 |
| 85.3 |