Oakland, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Oakland, CA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around average
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B
Income Around average
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A
Education Above average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Oakland | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 439,002 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 5625.9 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.77% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 35.9 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 176,418 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Oakland grew by 7.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 439,002 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Oakland is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 28.7% of residents. That is 5.0 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 85,272 19.4% -2.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 125,932 28.7% +5.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 89,410 20.4% +0.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 61,039 13.9% -1.4 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below California, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.7% of the people living in Oakland and men 49.3%.
- Women 50.7% California 49.9%
- Men 49.3% California 50.1%
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Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Oakland
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Economy
Oakland has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Oakland | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $101,574 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 7.25% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.4% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Oakland is about 2% higher than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Oakland | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $715,940 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,978 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 42.3% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Oakland is about 30.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,978 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Oakland spend about 54 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 223 hours, about 9.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Oakland | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 26.8 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 53.6 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 223 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,922 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 26.5% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 24,870 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,162 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Oakland is 27 minutes, longer than the 23 minutes in California.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Oakland has a education index of A, which means it is very educated.
| Metric | Oakland | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 45.7% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.45 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Health
Oakland has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Oakland | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.0 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.7% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 12.6% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Oakland, CA Compared With Nearby Cities
How Oakland, CA compares with the 2 cities closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland, CA | 439,002 | $101,574 #3/3 | $715,940 #2/3 | 26.8 min #1/3 |
| Alameda, CA | 77,238 | $136,606 | $1,601,852 | 30.2 min |
| San Leandro, CA | 87,097 | $101,625 | $663,442 | 30.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Oakland, California.
How big is Oakland, California by population?
About 439,002 people live in Oakland, California, in 176,418 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 35.9, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Oakland, California mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Oakland, California has 5,626 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 65 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Oakland, California?
The median home costs 7.0 times the median household income ($715,940 against $101,574), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,978 a month takes about 23% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Oakland, California?
45.7% of adults in Oakland, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 2), well above the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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