State
Land Area
55.9 sq mi
Density
7,786.7/sq mi
2020 Growth Rate
0.71%
Growth Since 2010
11.39%
Rank in State
Rank in Country
Metro Population
4,767,070
Oakland is a large port city in the state of California located on the San Francisco Bay. It is the third-largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the eighth largest city in California.
Oakland is a major transportation and trade hub and the principal city of the East Bay region of the Bay Area, sitting right across from the bay and 6 miles east of San Francisco.
Oakland has worked to reduce its high crime rate, and it continues to rank among the top cities in the United States for sustainability. It has become a major tourist destination as well. Two years ago, Oakland was named the top North American city to visit, and it was ranked 16th on "America's Coolest Cities."
Oakland Diversity and Population Statistics
Oakland has the 5th highest cluster of "elite zip codes," which are ranked by the number of households with the highest combination of education and income, with close to 38% of the population over 25 having a bachelors degree or higher. Oakland is also in the top 20 cities in the U.S. for median household income.
Oakland is one of the most ethnically diverse major U.S. cities, ranking 4th in diversity with a diversity score of 91.4. The white population had fallen from 95.3% in 1940 to 32.5% in 1990, and it has become a center for the African American population of Northern California, although it has lost nearly 25% of its black community since 2000, with many leaving for the Southern U.S. or the Bay Area suburbs.
Oakland also has the 3rd highest concentration of gay and lesbian people among the 50 largest cities in the country after San Francisco and Seattle.
Oakland Population Growth
In 2011, Oakland lost about 25% of its African American population. This made Oakland one of the only big cities in California to decline in size with the second largest overall population decline in California. Only Santa Ana lost more residents during this time.
The declining population trend did turn around somewhat, however, and the Bay Area went on to become the fastest-growing region in California by 2013. Alameda County was the second-fastest growing county in California from 2012 to 2013, adding 1.2%.