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Compare towns

Glendale vs Oakland

333 miles apart. The biggest differences: growth since 2010 (+10.3 pts in Oakland) and conserved land (+19.6 pts in Glendale).

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Glendale, CAA history townCalifornia · 190,748 people
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Oakland, CAA history townCalifornia · 439,418 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $2,530 more a month in Glendale

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Glendale$6,790/mo
Typical home $1.18M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.61% · or rent about $2,182/mo · Housing →
Oakland$4,260/mo
Typical home $709K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.92% · or rent about $1,979/mo · Housing →

The difference: $2,530 a month, about $30,300 a year, between Glendale and Oakland.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Glendale places higher on 13 of 23 CA lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every California ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
GlendaleOakland
Snow a year0″0″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)93rd94th
Outdoors & history
GlendaleOakland
Conserved land30.1%10.5%
Settled18841852
National Register places1461
Archive photos3024
Famous people born here4950
Community
GlendaleOakland
Library hours a week66 hrs58 hrs
Colleges in town36
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

333 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Glendale ↔ Oakland333 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

GlendaleOakland
People
Population 190,748Lowest 439,418Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +2.5%Lowest CA: +6.1% +12.8%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 41.4±0.7Highest 9% above CA 37.9±0.4Lowest about the CA average
Kids under 18 18.4%±0.9Lowest CA: 22% 18.9%±0.5Highest CA: 22%
Oakland and Glendale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 19%±0.8Highest CA: 15.7% 14.7%±0.4Lowest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 47.2%Lowest CA: 37.1% 48.7%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.8%±0.6Highest CA: 7.6% 6.4%±0.4Lowest CA: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $88,393±$3kLowest 11% below CA $101,600±$2kHighest about the CA average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $1,102,300±$31kHighest 50% above CA $929,900±$12kLowest 27% above CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,182±$34Highest 7% above CA $1,979±$29Lowest about the CA average
Property taxmedian, yearly $6,679Lowest 30% above CA $8,575Highest 67% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 62.3%±2.6Highest CA: 55.3% 51.1%±1.8Lowest CA: 55.3%
Below poverty line 12.9%Lowest CA: 12% 13.4%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 35.2%Lowest CA: 55.9% 42.3%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1966Highest 10 yrs older than CA 1953Lowest 23 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 27 minLowest 6% below CA 30 minHighest 4% above CA
Work from home 21.2%±1.3Lowest CA: 17.2% 26.5%±0.9Highest CA: 17.2%
Work in townworking residents 20.2%Lowest 25.7%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.3 miLowest 9.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.13Highest 1.12Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Los Angeles (37%)San Francisco (22%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in OaklandFew work in Glendale
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 30.1%Highest 10.5%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 80.5 miLowest 104.3 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 2.6 miHighest 1.3 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 34Lowest 128Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 73.6Lowest 91.8Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #123 of 574 in CA#245 of 574 in CA
School district Glendale UnifiedAIMS College Prep Middle District · Aspire Triumph Technology Academy District
High school in town Glendale HighOakland Technical High
Students per teacherat that high school 22.6Highest 17.5Lowest
California average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Glendale neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Glendale’s Town Square.

Oakland neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Oakland’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Glendale and Oakland

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Glendale

Towns like Glendale

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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