Oakland, CA: Local News, Events & Neighbors

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…

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How Oakland ranks

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#117Most remote workers in CA #129Fastest growing in CA #97Rent easiest to afford in CA All CA rankings →

Town numbers

ZIP code94601, 94602, 94603

Area code510

Living in Oakland

Housing in Oakland

$709K▼ 0.9% in a year Typical home value · Zillow

The typical Oakland home is worth about $709,000, down 0.9% in a year, 7% below the California typical home.

A seller's market

Buyer’sBalancedSeller’s

Days on market20

Sale-to-list113.7%

Sold in May252

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Safety in Oakland

D⁻

Safety Grade D-

Oakland reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 100% report less.

Violent crime per 1,000

Oakland 14.8

California 4.3

U.S. 3.3

Property crime per 1,000

Oakland 52.3

California 18.2

U.S. 15.5

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeCrime & safety →

Schools in Oakland

All Oakland schools →

C⁺

School Grade C+

The public schools Oakland’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 64% of California’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the bottom.

#245Best public schoolsof 574 in CA

DistrictOakland UnifiedSchools157

Yu Ming Charter A+Elementary · Grades K–8 · 959 students Melrose Leadership AcademyElementary · Grades K–8 · 722 students Lockwood STEAM Academy ElementaryElementary · Grades K–5 · 678 students Lincoln ElementaryElementary · Grades K–5 · 664 students American Indian Public Charter School II AElementary · Grades K–8 · 617 students GreenleafElementary · Grades K–8 · 613 students

School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within CA. Ratings are from neighbors.