Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For a city of 157,113, Hayward does unevenly: it grades C−, 528th of 841 graded towns in California. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 94% of U.S. towns. The trade-offs: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 92% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top, and its police reported 688 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 92% of U.S. towns. 30% of the land in Hayward is conserved, above both the California town median (4.2%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Hayward is home to California State University-East Bay. Only 60 of California’s 1,064 towns score higher on the outdoors.
Where Hayward beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
3 colleges in town.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Hayward is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 504 in 1870, 162,954 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1870 and 8 maps from 1899 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hayward. Close and well known come first.
Big draw22 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw17 mi Stadium & arenaLevi's Stadium
Big draw15 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
Big draw18 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw18 mi Theme parkCalifornia's Great America
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaOracle ParkAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Levi's Stadium: Matthew Roth, CC BY-SA 2.0 · USS Hornet: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0 · Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · California's Great America: Oleg Alexandrov, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Oracle Park: User Coasttocoast on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hayward, 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 Hayward.
Hayward keeps more of its land conserved than most of California and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it reports more crime than Union City and its other graded neighbors.
Each of the 3 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Union City (C−) to Pleasanton (C+). Reported crimes fell from 7,091 to 4,815 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
At 26.2 per 1,000 residents, Hayward’s property crime rate is against 13.3 in California’s towns and 9.9 across U.S. towns. The violent crime rate in Hayward is 4.4 per 1,000 residents. Hayward reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 92% report less.
| Hayward | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 26.2 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.4 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Hayward Unified school district. Two of its 47 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cherryland ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 855 | – |
| Mt. Eden HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,865 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Since 1983, 16 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hayward.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its 12,360 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 92% of California towns.
70 miles of trail in 46 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park, 1,661 acres with 15.2 miles of trail. Hayward’s trail density is 1.1 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park | 15.2 mi | 1,661 |
| 2. Greenbelt Park and Trails | 5.3 mi | 141 |
| 3. Garin Regional Park Restricted Area | 4.5 mi | 1,490 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 6,701 U.S. towns with household incomes like Hayward’s, it is less healthy than 62%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Hayward beats the California average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 41% of Hayward adults feel lonely.
| Hayward | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 36% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 70% | 72% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 29% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 31% | 35% |
| What stands out | Hayward | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.7% | 6.4% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 4.2% | 5.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
January nights average 41.7°, milder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 78.3°.
Hayward has warm winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Hayward | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 78°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 42°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Hayward has about as many jobs (62,721) as working residents, but only 9,512 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Hayward for work: only 13% work in town. The top destinations are Oakland (8%), San Francisco (8%) and Fremont (7%). Half commute less than 15 miles.
| Hayward | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $113,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Work from home | 14% | 14% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical value, about $816K, is 13% below its June 2022 peak. At about $816K, home values are down 2% in five years, against a rise of 13% across California.
The typical Hayward home is worth about $816,000, down 2.4% in a year, 7% above the California typical home. 58% of households own their home in Hayward.
| Hayward | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,391 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 58% | 64% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 54% | 55% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the California average. Hayward has lost 3.6% of its people since 2020, down to 157,113 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 34% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 37% across California.
| Hayward | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 20% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 16% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 29% | 29% |
| Median age | 38.6 years | 39.1 years | 40.5 years |
49.9% women, 50.1% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±0.8 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 39.9, men 37.4.
| Hayward | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.4% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.1% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.9% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.9% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.8% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.9% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.4% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.8% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.6% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 18% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.6% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.2% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.1% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.1% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.9% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
17 within 15 miles of the center of Hayward
About 7 of every 100 Hayward residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
144,186 counted in 2010 and 162,954 in 2020; an estimated 157,113 in 2025.
Since 2020 the trend has turned: down 3.6%, after 13% growth in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
47 notable people were born in Hayward.
City in California, United States
Hayward is a city in Alameda County, California, United States, in the East Bay subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of 162,954 as of 2020, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the Bay Area, and the third largest in Alameda County. Hayward was ranked as the 36th most populous municipality in California. It is included in the San Francisco–Oakland–San Jose Metropolitan Statistical Area by the US Census. It is located primarily between Castro Valley, San Leandro and Union City, and lies at the eastern terminus of the San Mateo–Hayward Bridge.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with Hayward.
All 7 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C−; Cherryland (C−) is closest.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hayward | #528 | C− | D | D | C+ | B+ |
| Castro Valley | #51 | A− | D− | — | A | A− |
| Fairview | #289 | C+ | D | — | C | A− |
| Cherryland | #506 | C− | C− | — | C | C+ |
| Union City | #307 | C+ | D− | C− | B+ | A |
| San Lorenzo | #239 | B− | C− | — | C+ | B+ |
| Fremont | #105 | B+ | D− | C | A | A+ |
| Pleasanton | #65 | A− | D− | C+ | A | A+ |
Castro Valley, Fairview, Cherryland and San Lorenzo report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Hayward with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hayward grades C− overall, better than 17% of U.S. towns and #528 of 841 in California. It grades B+ for health, D for safety and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. That is 6 years of the area's median household income ($136,027 across the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
47 notable people were born here, including Dwayne Johnson and Josh Ryan Evans.
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