Alameda County · San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley · population 443,554
Where Oakland stands
26% off 5-year peak. home values down 7.6% in the last year. rents up 5.7% in the last year.
Home value trajectory · last 10 years
Zillow ZHVI · monthlyLifestyle scores
Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.
Rent trajectory · last 5 years
Zillow ZORI · monthlyHome value vs rent · indexed to 100
Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)Rent vs buy
At a 23.5 price-to-rent ratio, the math is starting to lean toward renting in Oakland. Owner-occupier ROI requires longer holds and the assumption that prices keep appreciating roughly at the rate of rent.
How the momentum score breaks down
methodology →Oakland has held up across the cycle: home values at $718,621 with -3.9% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.
Oakland has given back 26% from its 5-year peak — that's not a healthy correction, it's a market still digesting an overshoot. The bear case is that the floor hasn't been found yet.
About Oakland
Oakland is a city in Alameda County, California, with an estimated population of 443,554. It anchors the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley metro area. The median home value in Oakland is $718,621 as of 2026-04, down 7.6% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged -3.9% annual growth, and the market currently sits about 26% below its 5-year peak. Rents in Oakland average $2,544 per month, up 5.7% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 30 of 100 (Declining). The market is well off recent highs — patient long-term buyers may find opportunities, but resale liquidity is reduced.
▲ Bull case
▼ Bear case
About Oakland (Wikipedia)
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.
Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.
City facts
Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.
Things to see in Oakland(Tourism)
- Oakland Hotel
- Francis Marion Smith
- RevPAR
- Average daily rate
Extracted from the Wikipedia article. Names linked in the source — open the city’s Wikipedia page for details.
Playbook
Make sure you're not catching a falling knife. Verify local fundamentals — jobs, population trend, school enrollment — before assuming the bottom is in. Negotiate hard and walk away from anything that doesn't pencil. Oakland is currently 26% off its 5-year peak — historically, that's been the discount tier of this market.
Be realistic. Below-list pricing may be required; time is not your friend. If you can wait 2-3 years for the cycle to turn, consider holding.
Cap rates can look great in Declining markets, but verify tenant pool, income stability, and exit liquidity before committing. A 10% cap on a vacant property is 0%.
Local safety & alerts
No active National Weather Service alerts for Alameda County right now.
Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Alameda County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.
Neighborhoods of Oakland
121 tracked · ranked by median home valueSee the full neighborhood ranking →
Cities like Oakland
Run the numbers for Oakland
Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.
Climate & natural-disaster risk
State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.
Local sports teams
Major professional teams the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.
Current weather
Find rentals & listings
Open current Oakland listings on the major real-estate sites.
Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.
Local news & community
Latest news
- 3 Dead, 5 Injured After Teen Driver Strikes Crowd of Pedestrians at 'High Speed' in CaliforniaPeople.com · 2d ago
- Oakland city administrator resigns over 'degrading, unprofessional' textsKTVU · 2d ago
- East Oakland Community Remembers Victims of Saturday’s Deadly Car CrashKQED · 1d ago
- 3 killed, more injured after driver crashes into crowd in CaliforniaKTLA · 3d ago
- California celebrates grand opening of state-funded community center and new affordable homes in OaklandDepartment of Toxic Substances Control (.gov) · 1d ago
- 3 people killed, several others injured after driver crashes into crowd in OaklandNBC News · 3d ago
Local chatter (Reddit)
Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.
Local economy & environment
Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.
Cities similar to Oakland
Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.