Should I Move To
Oakland, California comes in at about 437,825 residents. Cost of living comes out very expensive — 45% above the national average. Rent typically lands near $1,849/mo, and the median household income is about $94,389. Overall, 46/100 on our composite score, which works out to a D, putting it at #640 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Inverse of violent + property crime rate per 100,000 residents.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
Cost-of-living index of 145 (with 100 as the US baseline) — that's very expensive territory. With median rent at $1,849/mo and median household income at $94,389, housing takes about 24% of gross income — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Homes typically value around $883,800.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →Expect mild weather — summers near 72°F, winters around 43°F. Rain (and snow, in some seasons) totals about 19 inches annually. Walkability varies a lot by neighborhood — denser pockets work fine on foot, the rest leans on driving. Crime runs notably high by national standards. As always, neighborhood-level data tells a more nuanced story than the citywide figure. AQI runs about 43 — a "good" reading.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
Oakland is a tougher sell for families. The profile-weighted score is 41/100 — a D. Its standout dimension is climate (99/100); the soft spot is safety (1/100).
Oakland is a tougher sell for retirees. The profile-weighted score is 43/100 — a D. Its standout dimension is climate (99/100); the soft spot is safety (1/100).
Oakland is a tougher sell for remote workers. The profile-weighted score is 39/100 — a F. Its standout dimension is climate (99/100); the soft spot is safety (1/100).
Oakland is a tougher sell for young professionals. The profile-weighted score is 49/100 — a D. Its standout dimension is climate (99/100); the soft spot is safety (1/100).
Our overall score for Oakland is 46/100 — a D, sitting at #640 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, Oakland sits at 145 — very expensive, 45% above the national average. Median renter pays around $1,849 a month.
Oakland runs mild on the weather. Summer's near 72°F, winter's near 43°F; 19 inches of precipitation annually.
Walk Score: 53/100. Walkability varies a lot by neighborhood — denser pockets work fine on foot, the rest leans on driving.
Roughly 437,825 people live here, with 48% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 38.
Drop Oakland into the comparison tool with any other US city and you'll get housing costs, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life data lined up side by side. Profile-specific leaderboards (families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals) are linked from the navigation.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Oakland with other California cities scored on UrbRank.
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