Every City in the USA

City · CA · #45 nationally

Oakland, CA.

Oakland, California had 440,838 residents as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025), ranking #45 nationally and #8 in California. cost of living runs 16% above the U.S. average (BEA RPP 2024); a family of four needs roughly $179,153/yr to break even (2025 modeled). This profile draws on 13 federal datasets covering population, housing, income, employment, climate, and risk.

State outline of California with Oakland's approximate location marked.

At a glance.

2025 population

440,838

Census Vintage 2025

Median HH income

$101,600

+30.7% vs US $77,719

Median home value

$929,900

+206.5% vs US $303,400

Avg July high

74°F

NOAA 1991–2020

Gigabit broadband

93%

ISP-reported, FCC BDC

Unemployment

4.7%

Oakland · BLS LAUS

Key statistics.

2025 population

440,838

Census Vintage 2025, July 1, 2025

2020 base

440,842

April 1, 2020 census base

5-yr change

-4

2020 base → 2025; within V2025

5-yr change %

-0.0%

Within V2025 only

1-yr change

+665

2024 → 2025 estimate

1-yr change %

+0.2%

Within V2025 only

Density

7,877

people per sq mi, land only

Land area

56

sq mi (2025 Gazetteer)

U.S. rank by population

#45

of 19,483 cities

State rank by population

#8

of 483 in California

Population history.

Population shrank 0.0% from the April 2020 base to mid-2025.

Vintage 2025 · annual estimates

Recent history (V2025 series, 2020 base → 2025).

2020 base: 440,842 2020: 441,157 2021: 437,373 2022: 436,240 2023: 438,301 2024: 440,173 2025: 440,838 2020 base 2025

2020 base: 440,842 → 2025: 440,838 (-0.0%)

Year Population Reference date
2020 base 440,842 April 1, 2020
2020 441,157 July 1, 2020
2021 437,373 July 1, 2021
2022 436,240 July 1, 2022
2023 438,301 July 1, 2023
2024 440,173 July 1, 2024
2025 440,838 July 1, 2025
Earlier history (2010–2019, prior Census vintage)

These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2019 release — a separate, earlier methodology. They’re shown here as historical context only; the 2010 and 2019 values aren’t directly comparable to the 2020–2025 series above.

Population grew 10.8% from 2010 to 2019 (V2019 — see seam note below).

2010 base: 390,765 2010: 391,406 2011: 396,086 2012: 401,104 2013: 406,648 2014: 412,901 2015: 418,211 2016: 420,947 2017: 424,382 2018: 429,056 2019: 433,031 2010 base 2019

2010 base: 390,765 → 2019: 433,031 (+10.6%)

Year Population Reference date
2010 base 390,765 April 1, 2010
2010 391,406 July 1, 2010
2011 396,086 July 1, 2011
2012 401,104 July 1, 2012
2013 406,648 July 1, 2013
2014 412,901 July 1, 2014
2015 418,211 July 1, 2015
2016 420,947 July 1, 2016
2017 424,382 July 1, 2017
2018 429,056 July 1, 2018
2019 433,031 July 1, 2019

What's the median income in Oakland?

Median household income is 31% above the U.S. median ($101,600 vs $77,719); 13.4% live in poverty — 0.9 points above the 12.5% U.S. rate.

Income and poverty estimates for Oakland from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates (window 2020–2024). Every figure is shown with its 90% margin of error (MOE). Cells where the ± margin exceeds half the estimate are flagged "low precision." See methodology §12.

Measure Estimate ± margin / note
Median household income 101,600 +30.7% vs US ±2,146
Per capita income 61,757 +42.7% vs US ±1,141
Population in poverty 13.4% share of population for whom poverty status is determined

Source: ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 · ACS 5-Year Estimates 2020-2024 (released 2026-01-29) · methodology →

How much does housing cost in Oakland?

Median home value is 206% above the U.S. median ($929,900 vs $303,400); median rent is 47% above ($1,979 vs $1,348); price-to-income ratio is 9.2×, making it 2.3× as cost-burdened as the typical U.S. city (3.9×).

Owner-occupied home values, renter costs, and tenure split from the ACS 5-Year (2020–2024). All figures inflation-adjusted to 2024 dollars by Census.

Measure Estimate ± margin / note
Median value, owner-occupied units 929,900 +206.5% vs US ±12,301
Median gross rent 1,979 +46.8% vs US ±29
HUD Fair Market Rent, 2-BR (FY2026) $2,912 -32.0% vs US Oakland-Fremont, CA HUD Metro FMR Area · 40th-percentile gross rent · HUD methodology
Owner-occupied share 42.3% of occupied housing units
Price-to-income ratio 9.2x +134.5% vs US median home value ÷ median household income · U.S. median: 3.9x
Rent-burdened (≥30% of income) 48.8% +6.1% vs US share of renter households · U.S. median: 46%
Severely rent-burdened (≥50%) 26.5% +20.4% vs US share of renter households · U.S. median: 22%

Source: ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 · methodology →

What jobs and industries are in Oakland?

Spans 1 county; 8.8% poverty rate; 4.5% unemployment.

Poverty (Census SAIPE 2024, model-based), unemployment (BLS LAUS 2024 annual averages), and remote-work share (ACS 2020–2024) for Oakland. Numbers are labeled at their native grain — place-grain when BLS publishes it, otherwise per-county. We do not compute population-weighted county averages. See methodology §13.

Measure Value Grain
Unemployment rate (annual avg) 4.7% Oakland (BLS sub-state LAUS)
Civilian labor force 237,717 2024 annual avg
Worked from home 26.5% +89.3% vs US share of workers 16+ commuting from home · U.S. median: 14% · ACS

County context — Oakland sits in Alameda County:

County Poverty rate Median HH income Unemployment
Alameda County 8.8% $128,031 4.5%

Top industries by private employment — NAICS supersectors rolled up from Oakland's linked county in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW, 2024 annual averages). See methodology §11.

# Industry (NAICS supersector) Private employment Avg weekly wage
#1 Health care and social assistance (62) 125,297 $1,476 / wk
#2 Manufacturing (31-33) 90,559 $2,274 / wk
#3 Professional and technical services (54) 74,460 $3,004 / wk
#4 Retail trade (44-45) 62,490 $1,096 / wk
#5 Accommodation and food services (72) 58,021 $688 / wk

What workers earn in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro — top occupations by employment plus six curated benchmarks (registered nurse, software developer, elementary teacher, general manager, retail salesperson, truck driver). Wages are metro-area medians from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). See methodology §25.

Occupation Employment Median annual Median hourly
Home Health and Personal Care Aides 109,070 $35,870 $17.24
Fast Food and Counter Workers 47,330 $40,470 $19.46
Cashiers 40,350 $39,520 $19.00
Office Clerks, General 35,750 $55,790 $26.82
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 33,130 $48,220 $23.18
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 31,140 $43,530 $20.93
Software Developers · benchmark 76,900 $174,910 $84.09
General and Operations Managers · benchmark 42,330 $152,090 $73.12
Registered Nurses · benchmark 40,750 $188,020 $90.40
Retail Salespersons · benchmark 37,380 $42,490 $20.43
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers · benchmark 16,870 $64,210 $30.87
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education · benchmark 14,800 $98,890

Source: SAIPE 2024 · BLS LAUS 2024 annual averages · BLS QCEW 2024 · BLS OEWS May 2024 · methodology →

Cost of living summary

How expensive is Oakland, CA?

All items run 15.6% above the U.S. average (RPP 115.6); rents run 94.7% above (RPP 194.7) — the metro's housing premium is the main driver.

BEA Regional Price Parity (all items) RPP 115.6 +15.6% vs U.S. average · BEA 2024 · San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro
HUD Fair Market Rent, 2-BR $2,912/mo FY2026 · Oakland-Fremont, CA HUD Metro FMR Area
State income tax (top marginal rate) 12.30% 9 brackets · TY2025
Family-of-four monthly budget total $14,929/mo 3BR rent + food + childcare + taxes + transport · federal sources
Single-adult monthly budget total $6,018/mo 1BR rent + food + taxes + transport · federal sources
Local income tax not applicable in California · no modeled local income tax

Household budget figures are arithmetic floors using current federal sources at the grains documented in methodology. Not a recommended salary, not a poverty threshold, not a composite score.

Source: BEA RPP 2024 · HUD FMR · federal pipelines · methodology →

Community & origins.

27.5% foreign-born (U.S. median 14%); Spanish is the most-spoken language at home other than English (22.6% of residents 5+).

Where Oakland's residents come from and what they speak at home, from the ACS 5-Year 2020–2024. Foreign-born is the share of residents born outside the U.S. (any citizenship status); language-at-home is reported only for residents 5 and older.

Measure Value ± margin / note
Foreign-born share 27.5% +96.4% vs US share of residents born outside the U.S. · U.S. median: 14% · ACS B05002
Speak only English at home 59.7% share of population 5+ · ACS C16001 line 2
Top non-English language at home Spanish 22.6% most-spoken language other than English among residents 5+ · ACS C16001 collapsed buckets

Source: ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 · methodology →

Schools.

These are K-12 public school districts. Higher education (colleges and universities) is not represented in this dataset.

Public school districts serving Oakland, from the NCES EDGE Geographic Relationship Files (GRF25, 2024–25 school year boundaries). The join is many-to-many — large cities often span multiple districts, and one district often serves multiple cities. Sorted primary district first. See methodology §12 for the consolidated-city fallback and Milford CT special case.

# District NCES LEAID
#1 Oakland Unified School District 0628050
#2 San Leandro Unified School District 0634680
#3 Alameda City Unified School District 0601770
Edge overlap: 4 additional districts touches the city boundary in < 0.5 sq mi
# District NCES LEAID
#4 Castro Valley Unified School District 0607800
#5 Piedmont City Unified School District 0630330
#6 Berkeley Unified School District 0604740
#7 Emery Unified School District 0612630

Source: NCES EDGE GRF25 · school year 2024–25 · methodology →

What's the climate like in Oakland?

Hottest month: September (75°F avg high). Coldest: January (44°F avg low). Annual precipitation: 20.2 in.

30-year climate normals (1991-2020) for Oakland from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. See methodology §15 for the gridded vs. station source path.

Avg July high

74°F 23°C

Hottest typical month, daytime

Avg January low

44°F 7°C

Coldest typical month, overnight

Annual precipitation

20.2 in 513 mm

Sum of monthly normals

Hottest / coldest month

Sep / Jan

75°F high / 44°F low 24°C high / 7°C low

Monthly normals (12 rows)
Month Avg high (°F) Avg high (°C) Avg low (°F) Avg low (°C) Precip (in) Precip (mm)
Jan 58.0 14.4 43.7 6.5 3.81 97
Feb 61.1 16.2 46.1 7.8 3.98 101
Mar 63.8 17.7 47.6 8.7 2.95 75
Apr 66.3 19.1 49.3 9.6 1.40 36
May 69.0 20.6 52.4 11.3 0.66 17
Jun 73.0 22.8 54.9 12.7 0.15 4
Jul 73.5 23.1 56.5 13.6 0.01 0
Aug 73.9 23.3 56.9 13.8 0.03 1
Sep 74.7 23.7 56.1 13.4 0.10 3
Oct 71.7 22.1 53.4 11.9 0.94 24
Nov 63.9 17.7 48.3 9.1 2.08 53
Dec 57.9 14.4 43.9 6.6 4.07 103

Source: nClimGrid 1991-2020 v1.0, nearest cell at 37.7709, -122.2292 · methodology →

How safe is Oakland from natural disasters?

Composite risk score: 99.8/100 — Very High nationally; top hazard: Earthquake (100.0).

Natural-hazard exposure for Oakland from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index (FEMA NRI March 2023). NRI is an expected-annual-loss composite calibrated on 1996–2019 historical losses, published at the U.S. county grain. See methodology §17.

County NRI composite Rating Top hazards
Alameda County 99.8 Very High
  • Earthquake · score 100.0 · Very High
  • Landslide · score 99.8 · Relatively High
  • Riverine Flooding · score 99.7 · Very High

Source: FEMA National Risk Index · FEMA NRI March 2023 · methodology →

Internet & broadband.

20 non-satellite ISPs serve the area; 93% of locations have gigabit-capable service per ISP filings.

Fixed broadband availability for Oakland from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's Broadband Data Collection (BDC), as of June 30, 2025. Every speed and provider count below is an ISP-reported advertised maximum — not measured throughput. Actual delivered speeds typically run 60–80% of advertised. See methodology §16.

Measure Value Note
Providers serving this city 20 + satellite distinct ISPs, excluding satellite-only
Fiber providers 14 offer fiber-to-the-premises somewhere in the BDC
Units with ≥100/20 Mbps fixed 100.0% share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Locations with ≥100 Mbps upload 92.8% derived: max(fiber ≥100/20, gigabit). Fiber is symmetric; gigabit is ≥100 up by definition
Units with ≥1 Gbps fixed 92.8% share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Total broadband-serviceable units 206,985 residential locations in the FCC Fabric (not households)

Source: FCC BDC · as of June 30, 2025 · methodology →

In-state context.

Oakland sits at state rank #8 among 483 cities in California. Nearby in the state ranking:

State rank City 2025 population
#5 Fresno 555,549
#6 Sacramento 536,449
#7 Long Beach 450,469
#9 Bakersfield 422,165
#10 Anaheim 341,008
#11 Stockton 324,597

See the full ranking: every city in California →

National context.

Oakland is ranked #45 of 19,483 U.S. cities by 2025 population.

Just above in the profiled set: Long Beach, CA · #44 · 450,469 residents.

Just below in the profiled set: Minneapolis, MN · #46 · 430,324 residents.

Quick travel facts for Oakland

Quick travel facts.

Nearest commercial airport
San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport (OAK) · 3 mi 5 km from city centroid
Best months to visit
Jun, Jul, Oct · months when the avg high sits in 65–80°F and precipitation is at or below the city's median monthly precip

Sources: elevation from USGS Elevation Point Query Service (3DEP) · nearest airport from OurAirports CSV (FAA-aligned, type=large/medium, scheduled_service=yes) · best months derived from NOAA 1991-2020 normals · methodology →

Sources · provenance

Every listed dataset is used on this page.

The GEOID for Oakland is 0653000. These are the official datasets used by this profile's main data modules; click "methodology" for inclusion rules and the V2019 ↔ V2025 seam, or "source" for the raw publisher page.

Census PEP
Vintage 2025 (Jul 1, 2025) · methodology · source
Census Gazetteer
2025 (Jan 1, 2025) · methodology · source
ACS 5-Year 2020–2024
Released 2026-01-29 · methodology · source
SAIPE 2024 (model-based)
Reference year 2024 · released 07 Jan 2026 · methodology · source
BLS LAUS 2024 annual
2024 annual averages · methodology · source
BLS QCEW 2024 annual
2024 annual averages · methodology · source
NCES EDGE GRF25
2024–25 school year · methodology · source
NOAA Climate Normals 1991–2020
30-year normals · v1.0 grid / v1.0.1 station · methodology · source
FCC Broadband Data Collection
as-of 2025-06-30 · biannual · methodology · source
FEMA National Risk Index
March 2023 release · methodology · source
BEA Regional Price Parities
2024 · released Feb 19, 2026 · methodology · source
OMB CBSA Delineation
July 2023 · methodology · source
Census TIGER/Line cartographic boundaries
2024 (1:20M) · methodology · source

Full per-dataset detail: /sources/.

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