Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 19,195, settled in 1910.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Albany grades B+ overall, 91st among California's 841 graded towns. It is among the most walkable places in the country. It is healthier than 98% of U.S. towns and the median household earns $144K. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $1.2 million for a typical one and 9.1 times the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income. 78% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Albany, where California’s towns sit at 29% and U.S. towns at 29%. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 92% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Only 105 of California’s 1,064 towns score higher on the outdoors.
Where Albany beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
18.1% of the town is conserved land, across 13 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Albany is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D− for hazard risk (better than 5%), so the B+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 808 in 1910, 20,271 in 2020. The archive holds 36 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 8 maps from 1895 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Albany. Close and well known come first.
Big draw7 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw8 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
Big draw8 mi LandmarkLombard Street
Big draw9 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw9 mi Stadium & arenaOracle Park
Big draw10 mi GardenPresidio of San FranciscoAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · USS Hornet: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0 · Lombard Street: The original uploader was Y6y6y6 at English Wikipedia., Public domain · Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Oracle Park: User Coasttocoast on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Presidio of San Francisco: Robert Campbell, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Albany, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Albany.
Albany fares better on crime within California than nationally, has less tooth loss than most of California and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns.
Its widest gap with California is tooth loss: 4% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 10.6% statewide.
24% of Albany adults have high blood pressure. Albany beats the California average on 23 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 20% of Albany adults have obesity.
| Albany | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 29% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.3% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 31% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6.7% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Albany | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4% | 10.6% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.5% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.24M.
Its public schools are run by the Albany City Unified school district. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Albany High, with 1,122 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albany MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 911 | – |
| Albany HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,122 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Albany’s median rent is $2,445 a month. Typical home values rose 6.2% in the year to September 2026. 53% of households own their home in Albany.
| Albany | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,445 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 53% | 64% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 46% | 55% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
6.4 miles of trail in 13 parks and preserves. The trail density in Albany is 1.2 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is McLaughlin Eastshore State Park, at 475 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Albany Bulb | 2.1 mi | 34 |
| 2. Albany Plateau | 1.3 mi | 26 |
| 3. Albany Neck | 1.3 mi | 15 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 32.6 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 59% of California’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 580 to 490 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
38% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
Most working residents leave Albany for work: only 6% work in town. The top destinations are San Francisco (26%), Berkeley (17%) and Oakland (12%). Half commute less than 9 miles.
| Albany | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 38% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $144,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.8% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
January nights average 42.1°, milder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 75.5°.
Albany has warm winters and cool summers. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Albany | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 76°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 42°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
38 within 15 miles of the center of Albany
About 13 of every 100 Albany residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Where Albany’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
9 notable people were born in Albany.
City in California, United States
Albany ( AWL-bə-nee) is a city on the east shore of San Francisco Bay in northwestern Alameda County, California, United States. The population was 20,271 at the 2020 United States census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Albany.
It grades higher overall than all 5 graded towns on its borders; Kensington (B−) comes closest.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany | #91 | B+ | D | C− | A | A+ |
| Berkeley | #182 | B− | D | D− | A | A |
| El Cerrito | #434 | C | D− | D | C+ | A |
| Richmond | #605 | D | C− | D | C+ | C+ |
| Kensington | #174 | B− | D | B− | C+ | A+ |
| San Francisco | #308 | C+ | D− | D | B+ | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Albany grades B+ overall, better than 68% of U.S. towns and #91 of 841 in California. It grades A+ for health, C− for safety and A for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
9 notable people were born here, including Walter De Maria and T. J. Cloutier.
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