What percentage of people rent in Oakland, CA?

Name: Renters and owners in Oakland, CA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

57.7% (±0.7 points) of the occupied homes in Oakland, CA are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 101,831 renting households against 74,753 that own their home.

In Oakland, the share of households that rent went from 59.3% in 2015–2019 to 57.7% in 2020–2024 (−1.6 percentage points), a measurable decrease.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 57.7% (±0.7 points)
Renting households: 101,831 (±1,717)
Median renter income: $71,363 (±$2,078)

Who rents and who owns in Oakland

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Oakland	Alameda County	California	United States
Renter-occupied share	57.7% (±0.7 points)	45.6% (±0.5 points)	44.1% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	101,831 (±1,717)	272,737 (±2,935)	5,980,523 (±22,985)	45,017,354
Owning households	74,753 (±1,329)	325,509 (±3,198)	7,567,568 (±37,334)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.3 (±0.0)	2.5 (±0.0)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.7 (±0.0)	2.9 (±0.0)	3.0 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$71,363 (±$2,078)	$87,302 (±$1,833)	$71,186 (±$298)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$160,348 (±$4,124)	$180,109 (±$2,161)	$127,456 (±$424)	$100,009

In Oakland, the renter share is higher than in Alameda County (45.6%).

It is also higher than in California (44.1%).

It is higher than the national figure (34.8%).

In Alameda County, Oakland ranks 4 of 19 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 94 of 1,076.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Oakland has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	59.3% (±0.6 points)	57.7% (±0.7 points)	−1.6 percentage points	Measurable decrease
Median gross rent	$1,445 (±$18)	$1,979 (±$29)	+37.0%	Up after inflation
Median household income	$73,692 (±$1,555)	$101,600 (±$2,146)	+37.9%	Up after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Oakland

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Oakland
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Oakland	—	57.7% (±0.7 points)	—
Alameda	2.7 mi	49.3% (±2.1 points)	Lower
Piedmont	3.6 mi	9.1% (±4.1 points)	Lower
San Leandro	5.7 mi	41.9% (±2.2 points)	Lower
Emeryville	6.3 mi	75.8% (±3.2 points)	Higher
Moraga	7.7 mi	16.9% (±3.5 points)	Lower
Berkeley	7.7 mi	55.8% (±1.6 points)	Lower
Ashland	8.0 mi	64.9% (±4.0 points)	Higher
San Lorenzo	8.1 mi	32.8% (±3.6 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Alameda, CA (49.3%), Piedmont, CA (9.1%), San Leandro, CA (41.9%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Emeryville, CA (75.8%), Ashland, CA (64.9%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Alameda County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	Emeryville	75.8% (±3.2 points)
2	Ashland	64.9% (±4.0 points)
3	Cherryland	60.7% (±6.0 points)
4	Oakland	57.7% (±0.7 points)
5	Berkeley	55.8% (±1.6 points)
6	Alameda	49.3% (±2.1 points)
7	Albany	46.9% (±2.7 points)
8	Hayward	42.0% (±1.7 points)
9	San Leandro	41.9% (±2.2 points)
10	Fremont	39.2% (±1.2 points)

Showing 10 of 19 places in Alameda County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Oakland

How many renters are there in Oakland?

Oakland has an estimated 101,831 (±1,717) renting households, 57.7% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Oakland?

In Oakland, the share of households that rent went from 59.3% in 2015–2019 to 57.7% in 2020–2024 (−1.6 percentage points), a measurable decrease.

How big are renting households in Oakland?

A renting household in Oakland has 2.3 people on average, against 2.7 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Oakland?

The median renting household in Oakland, CA has an income of $71,363 (±$2,078) a year, against $160,348 for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Oakland city, California (place:53000, in state:06).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.