Is Oakland a good place to live?
Oakland’s best subject grades are an A+ for schools and incomes and an A for health; its weakest is a C− for cost of living. Oakland’s median rent is $2,781 a month, against $971 a month in Missouri’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. Only 19 of Missouri’s 419 towns score lower on cost of living. Oakland is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 71% of U.S. towns. Oakland has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Oakland stand out
Where Oakland beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Ursuline Academy | 9–12 | 363 |
| Kirkwood Early Child. CTR. | PK | 304 |
| Widest gap | Oakland | MO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.7% | 13.7% |
1,372 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Oakland grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Oakland is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Cahokia and 55 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Oakland. Close and well known come first.
Big draw18 mi State parkCahokia
Big draw11 mi Stadium & arenaThe Dome at America's Center
11 mi Stadium & arenaBusch Stadium
11 mi National ParkGateway Arch National Park2.2M visitors a year
16 mi Theme parkMid America Adventure
10 mi Stadium & arenaEnterprise CenterPhoto credits
Cahokia: Thank You (24 Millions ) views, CC BY 2.0 · The Dome at America's Center: Paul Sableman, CC BY 2.0 · Busch Stadium: Lee Ann Ratledge, CC BY 4.0 · Gateway Arch National Park: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mid America Adventure: Chris Hagerman from New Port Richey, FL, US, CC BY 2.0 · Enterprise Center: Haaron755, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Moving to Oakland: who provides what
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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Oakland.
The typical home in Oakland is valued at about $465K
The typical Oakland home is worth about $465,000, up 0.9% in a year, 75% above the Missouri typical home. 77% of Oakland households own their home, above the Missouri town median (64%) and near the median of U.S. towns (73%).
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Oakland’s public schools outperform 97% of Missouri districts
Its public schools are run by the Kirkwood R-Vii school district. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kirkwood Early Child. CTR.Largest public school before high schoolGrades PK | Grades PK | 304 | – |
| Ursuline Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 363 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
A smaller share of adults in Oakland report frequent mental distress than in the typical Missouri or U.S. town
13% of adults report frequent mental distress in Oakland. Oakland beats the Missouri average on 19 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 29% of adults feel lonely in Oakland.
| Oakland | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 19% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 38% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 38% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.5% | 17% | 14% |
| What stands out | Oakland | MO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.7% | 13.7% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4.1% | 9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13.7% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
High risk in Oakland, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 1990, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Oakland.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
In Oakland, expect four seasons and hot summers
Oakland has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 23° and about 10 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Oakland stands out in Missouri and nationally, with fewer of its working residents who work locally
1% of Oakland working residents work locally. Jobs based in Oakland fell to 492 in 2023, 59 fewer than in 2013. The median household income in Oakland is $115,000.
| Oakland | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 21% | 9% | 11% |
| Median household income | $115,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1% | 13% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.4% | 14% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Oakland | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.6% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Backstopper's Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Oakland
Colleges nearby
23 within 15 miles of the center of Oakland
About 2 of every 100 Oakland residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
About Oakland
City in Missouri, United States
Oakland is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. As of the 2020 census, Oakland had a population of 1,390.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 614 ft
Questions about Oakland
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Oakland, MO a good place to live?
Public schools that outperform most of Missouri.
Is Oakland, MO expensive?
Yes. That is 5.8 years of the area's median household income ($80,196 across the St. Louis, MO-IL 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 C−.