Oakland is a large coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of California. With a population of 430,553 people and 116 associated neighborhoods, Oakland is the eighth largest community in California. Oakland has a large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic cities in the country. Housing costs in Oakland are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in California.Unlike some cities, Oakland isn’t mainly white- or blue-collar. Instead, the most prevalent occupations for people in Oakland are a mix of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Oakland is a city of professionals, managers, and sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in Oakland who work in management occupations (14.27%), office and administrative support (8.67%), and sales jobs (7.88%). Also of interest is that Oakland has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US. Of important note, Oakland is also a city of artists. Oakland has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Oakland’s character. One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 20.30% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes. One of the nice things about Oakland is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities. One downside of living in Oakland, however, is that residents on average have to contend with a long commute, spending on average 32.07 minutes every day commuting to work. It is, however, a pedestrian-friendly city. Many of its neighborhoods are dense enough and have amenities close enough together that people find it feasible to get around on foot. In addition, local public transit is widely used. For those who would prefer to avoid driving entirely and leave their car at home, it may be an option to use the transit instead. One of the benefits of being a big city like Oakland is having a public transportation system, but in Oakland the transit system is the mode of choice for lots of people getting to and from work every day. You will find many people using the subway for their daily commute, even though other transportation options exist. If you ask these commuters, many will tell you that not having to drive in the snarl of big city traffic is one of main reasons for leaving the car at home, or even not owning a car at all. With so many people taking the subway Oakland benefits from a reduction in air pollution and traffic.Oakland is one of the most well-educated cities in the nation. 48.41% of adults in Oakland have at least a bachelor's degree. Compare that to the average community in America, which has just 21.84% with a bachelor's degree or higher. The per capita income in Oakland in 2022 was $56,628, which is upper middle income relative to California, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $226,512 for a family of four. However, Oakland contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Oakland is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Oakland home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Oakland residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Oakland also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 26.62% of the city’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Oakland include German, Irish, English, Italian, and European. Oakland also has a high percentage of its population that was born in another country: 26.29%. The most common language spoken in Oakland is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Chinese.
