Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town with more to fix than most. Overall, Oakland earns a D: better than 11% of U.S. towns, and 604th of 841 in California. Its lowest grade is for safety: it reports more crime per resident than 100% of U.S. towns, including 6,554 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Walkability is its strong suit (A+). Homes run about $711K for a typical one, 5.2 times the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income. It also does well on health: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 66% of the country. Its National Register listings include Lake Merritt Wild Duck Refuge and Paramount Theatre. The city’s violent crime rate is 14.8 per 1,000 residents, above both the California town median (2.9) and the median of U.S. towns (1.6).
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · FBI crime data, 2025 · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · National Register of Historic Places.
Where Oakland beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Abbey, The-Joaquin Miller House| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Laney College | 6,027 |
| Merritt College | 2,888 |
| Samuel Merritt University | 1,516 |
Abbey, The-Joaquin Miller House is one of 5 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier. Its 61 National Register listings are more than in 98% of California towns with a listing.
Census counts: 1,543 in 1860, 440,646 in 2020. The archive holds 22 old photos and papers going back to 1855 and 8 maps from 1895 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Oakland 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 →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Oakland. Close and well known come first.
Big draw12 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw4 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
in town Stadium & arenaOakland Arena
Big draw9 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw9 mi Stadium & arenaOracle Park
Big draw11 mi LandmarkLombard StreetAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · USS Hornet: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0 · Oakland Arena: Mike Disharoon, CC BY-SA 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in Oakland, 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 Oakland.
Oakland has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns and trades workers with San Francisco and other neighbors, but it reports violent crime at 3 times the California rate.
Violent crime runs at 14.8 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the California rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Property crime runs at 52.3 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the California rate, most of it theft.
Only one of the 437 California towns we compare has a higher violent crime rate than Oakland. This California town reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 100% report less.
| Oakland | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.8 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 52.3 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Public schools: the Oakland Unified school district. Of its 157 schools, three are listed below, each with the reason. The 6 public schools in Oakland teach 4,253 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yu Ming CharterLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 959 | A+ |
| Oakland Technical HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,812 | – |
| American Indian Public Charter School IITop results in townGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 617 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Households in Oakland have drawn federal disaster aid in 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2023. Compared with 94% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in the town is higher. Since 1978, Oakland has seen 103 flood insurance claims paid out. FEMA puts 81% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to earthquakes, and 18% to inland flooding.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The biggest park or preserve is Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline, at 710 acres. 104 miles of trail in 128 parks and preserves. In Oakland, the trail density is 1.3 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Joaquin Miller Park | 15.4 mi | 446 |
| 2. Ecological Study Area | 8.4 mi | 345 |
| 3. Knowland Park | 6.2 mi | 448 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
January nights average 43.7°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 73.5°.
The January low for Oakland comes to 44°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Oakland | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 74°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 44°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 8,350 U.S. towns with household incomes like Oakland’s, it is less healthy than 53%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
For adults in Oakland, the share who report frequent mental distress is 18%. This California town beats the California average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. Among adults locally, 71% had a checkup this year and 28% have obesity.
| Oakland | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 36% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 72% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 29% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Oakland | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.4% | 6.4% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4.8% | 5.6% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 9.5% | 7.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Oakland has about as many jobs (198,047) as working residents, but only 45,566 people both live and work here. 26.5% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Oakland rose by 22,667, to 198,047. The top destinations are San Francisco (22%), Berkeley (6%) and San Leandro (3%). The average commute locally is 30 minutes.
| Oakland | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 27% | 14% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 26% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical value, about $711K, is 24% below its May 2022 peak. At about $711K, home values are down 20% in five years, against a rise of 13% across California.
Homes in Oakland are typically worth about $711,000, up 0.6% in a year, 7% below the California typical home. Just over two in five households own their home in the town. Its typical rent is $1,979 a month.
| Oakland | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 42% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,979 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 51% | 55% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
34 within 15 miles of the center of Oakland
About 6 of every 100 Oakland residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
6 colleges in town.
61 places in Oakland on the National Register of Historic Places.
46 notable people were born in Oakland.
City in California, United States
Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat of and the most populous city in Alameda County, California, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the most populous city in the East Bay, the third most populous city in the Bay Area, and the eighth most populous city in California. It serves as the Bay Area's trade center: the Port of Oakland is the busiest port in Northern California, and the fifth- or sixth-busiest in the United States. A charter city, Oakland was incorporated on May 4, 1852, in the wake of the state's increasing population due to the California gold rush. Oakl…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Oakland.
All 7 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Emeryville (D) is closest.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland | #604 | D | D | D− | C | B+ |
| Berkeley | #182 | B− | D | D− | A | A |
| San Leandro | #485 | C− | D | D | B− | B+ |
| Alameda | #221 | B− | D− | D | A | A |
| Emeryville | #549 | D | D | D− | C− | A+ |
| Castro Valley | #51 | A− | D− | — | A | A− |
| Brisbane | #180 | B− | D− | C+ | B+ | A |
| South San Francisco | #204 | B− | D− | C | B+ | A− |
Castro Valley reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Oakland with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Oakland grades D overall, better than 11% of U.S. towns and #604 of 841 in California. It grades B+ 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.
46 notable people were born here, including Billie Joe Armstrong and Mark Hamill.
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