Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Emeryville grades D overall, 549th of 841 graded towns in California, mostly because of safety and schools. It reports more crime per resident than 100% of U.S. towns, including 109 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Its public schools trail 81% of California towns on state tests and graduation. What it does well: it is healthier than 98% of U.S. towns. 71% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Emeryville, where California’s towns sit at 29% and U.S. towns at 29%. Emeryville is among the most walkable places in the country. Only 1 of the 437 California towns we compare have a higher property crime rate than Emeryville.
Where Emeryville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
10,080 counted in 2010 and 12,905 in 2020; an estimated 13,251 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Emeryville is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D− for safety (better than 1%), so the D overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 228 in 1890, 12,905 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1899 and 8 maps from 1895 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Emeryville. Close and well known come first.
Big draw7 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw5 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
Big draw7 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw6 mi Stadium & arenaOracle Park
Big draw7 mi LandmarkLombard Street
Big draw9 mi GardenPresidio of San FranciscoAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · USS Hornet: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0 · Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Oracle Park: User Coasttocoast on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lombard Street: The original uploader was Y6y6y6 at English Wikipedia., Public domain · Presidio of San Francisco: Robert Campbell, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Emeryville, 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 Emeryville.
Emeryville draws workers from Oakland and beyond, has less no health insurance than most of California and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns.
Property crime runs at 94.3 per 1,000 residents, 5 times the California rate, most of it theft. Reported crimes fell from 2,425 to 1,446 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Emeryville reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 100% report less. Emeryville’s violent crime rate is 7.7 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Emery Unified school district. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anna Yates ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 428 | – |
| Emery SecondaryLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 162 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with California is no health insurance: 4.2% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 10.6% statewide.
8.5% of Emeryville adults report frequent physical distress. Emeryville beats the California average on 22 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 12% of Emeryville adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Emeryville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 8.5% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 31% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 29% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 6.8% | 12% | 12% |
| What stands out | Emeryville | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.2% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 2.6% | 5.1% |
| More binge drinkers | 18.5% | 15.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
20,628 jobs are based in Emeryville, 3.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 36.9% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
Most working residents leave Emeryville for work: only 8% work in town. 37% of workers work from home in Emeryville. Jobs based in Emeryville grew to 20,628 in 2023, 1,573 more than in 2013.
| Emeryville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 37% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $117,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 90% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Emeryville since 1998.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical value, about $429K, is 30% below its May 2022 peak. At about $429K, home values are down 27% in five years, against a rise of 13% across California.
The median rent in Emeryville is $2,936 a month. Typical home values fell 6.3% in the year to September 2026.
| Emeryville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 24% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $2,936 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1.4 miles of trail in 13 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is McLaughlin Eastshore State Park, at 309 acres.
| Emeryville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 24% | 4.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. McLaughlin Eastshore State Park | — | 309 |
| 2. Emeryville Marina Park | 0.1 mi | 9 |
| 3. Davenport Mini Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
January nights average 43°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 74.3°.
Emeryville has warm winters and cool summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Emeryville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 74°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 43°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
32 within 15 miles of the center of Emeryville
About 9 of every 100 Emeryville residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
Where Emeryville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in California, United States
Emeryville is a city in northwestern Alameda County, California, United States. It lies in a corridor between the cities of Berkeley and Oakland, with a border on the shore of San Francisco Bay. The resident population was 12,905 as of 2020. Its proximity to San Francisco, the Bay Bridge, the University of California, Berkeley, and Silicon Valley has been a catalyst for recent economic growth. It is the home to Pixar Animation Studios, Peet's Coffee, the Center for Investigative Reporting, Alternative Tentacles and Clif Bar. In addition, several well-known tech and software companies are located in Emeryville: LeapFrog, Sendmail, MobiTV, Novartis (formerly Chiron before April 2006), and Big…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Emeryville.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emeryville | #549 | D | D | D− | C− | A+ |
| Oakland | #604 | D | D | D− | C | B+ |
| Berkeley | #182 | B− | D | D− | A | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Emeryville grades D overall, better than 15% of U.S. towns and #549 of 841 in California. It grades A+ for health, D− for safety and C− for schools. Safety 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.
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