City · Alameda County, California

Berkeley, California

Berkeley is a city in Alameda County, California, part of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area. It has 120,257 residents. Berkeley, California has a quality-of-life score of 68 out of 100 (high), ranking #5,008 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within California it ranks #218 of 1,062 cities and towns. It ranks best on distance to an Amtrak station (low), comfortable days (high) and bachelor's degree or higher (high). It ranks worst on home price to income ratio (high), income inequality (Gini index) (high) and property crime rate (high).

68High

Quality-of-life score: #5,008 of 15,651 cities and towns
California: #218 of 1,062 in CA
Population: 120,257 (2020-2024)
Land area: 10 mi²
Density: 11,527.9 /mi²
FIPS code: 0606000

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 76 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety28#11,198/15,637
Economy56#6,924/15,631
Housing10#13,502/14,977
Health91#1,433/15,609
Healthcare90#1,503/15,650
Environment33#10,315/15,453
Education77#3,648/15,649
Infrastructure88#1,821/15,650
Community52#7,517/15,651
Leisure & amenities83#2,599/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Berkeley, California ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Alameda County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Distance to an Amtrak station · low2 mi
100/100California 10 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAlameda County value
Comfortable days · high46.9%
99/100California 34.8%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAlameda County value
Bachelor's degree or higher · high74.9%
99/100California 37.1%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Public transit commuters · high12.4%
98/100California 2.9%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301
Drought exposure · low0%
98/100California 9%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAlameda County value
Access to exercise opportunities · high99.6%
98/100California 94.3%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAlameda County value

Weaknesses

Home price to income ratio · high13.1×
0/100California 7.4×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.537
1/100California 0.489United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Property crime rate · high3,294 /100k
1/100California 1,792 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAlameda County value
Violent crime rate · high761 /100k
2/100California 433 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figureAlameda County value
Students per teacher · high21.5×
4/100California 21.7×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsAlameda County value
Rent-burdened households · high55.7%
12/100California 55.3%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Public transit commutersWorsening
25.2% (2015-2019) → 12.4% (2020-2024)
−13 pts5 yearsCensus table B08301US 5.0% → 3.2%
Median household incomeImproving
$85,530 (2015-2019) → $108,092 (2020-2024)
+26%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
New homes permittedImproving
2.6 /1k (2021) → 3.2 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+21%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
91.2% (2015-2019) → 94.3% (2020-2024)
+3.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
11.7× (2015-2019) → 13.1× (2020-2024)
+11%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Average commute timeImproving
30.9 min (2015-2019) → 27.8 min (2020-2024)
−10%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Berkeley, California improved on 4 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 9 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved4

Commute−3.2 min30.9 min → 27.8 min
Poverty−1.9 points19.2% → 17.3%
Household income+26%$85,530 → $108,092
Broadband+3.1 points91.2% → 94.3%

Declined2

Price / income+1.3×11.7× → 13.1×
Transit use−13 points25.2% → 12.4%

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Berkeley, California between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	30.9 min2015-2019	27.8 min2020-2024	−3.2 min	Improved	80%
Bachelor's degree or higher	73.8%2015-2019	74.9%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	35%
Broadband subscriptions	91.2%2015-2019	94.3%2020-2024	+3.1 points	Improved	20%
Child poverty rate	5.7%2015-2019	7.6%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Within the margin of error	31%
Effective property tax rate	0.76%2015-2019	0.80%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	11%
High school diploma or higher	96.4%2015-2019	95.8%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	26%
Home price to income ratio	11.7×2015-2019	13.1×2020-2024	+1.3×	Declined	12%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5262015-2019	0.5372020-2024	+0.012	Within the margin of error	40%
Median household income	$85,5302015-2019	$108,0922020-2024	+26%	Improved	47%
Poverty rate	19.2%2015-2019	17.3%2020-2024	−1.9 points	Improved	62%
Public transit commuters	25.2%2015-2019	12.4%2020-2024	−13 points	Declined	1%
Rent as share of income	33.5%2015-2019	34.0%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Rent-burdened households	56.0%2015-2019	55.7%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	57%
Unemployment rate	5.3%2015-2019	5.6%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	44%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	3.4%2015-2019	3.2%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	49%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Berkeley, California five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Berkeley, California in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Berkeley, California itself moved −1.8 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

120,257 residents (±59)

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

47,135 households (±1,021)

Berkeley, California
California share

Under $25k16%7,684
$25k–50k12%5,657
$50k–75k11%5,403

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

47,135 households (±1,021)

Berkeley, California
California share

Own44%20,829
Rent56%26,306

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

58,917 workers (±1,374)

Berkeley, California
California share

Drive alone27%16,048
Carpool3.3%1,938
Public transit12%7,287

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Alameda County, the county holding most of Berkeley's residents.

Alameda County has 42,318 employer establishments, 259 for every 10,000 residents (1.04× the US rate of 248; 0.99× California's), with 749,124 paid employees at an average annual pay of $101,250. The Census Bureau also counts 148,108 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 42,318; 148,108 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 259; US 248 · California 263
Paid employees: 749,124
Average annual pay: $101,250; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Alameda County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	3,688	22.6	1.23×About typical	52,750	$29,829	694
Ambulatory health care services	3,667	22.5	1.08×About typical	55,461	$90,723	7,406
Lessors of real estate	2,267	13.9	1.13×About typical	9,226	$76,728	12,451
Specialty trade contractors	1,866	11.4	0.74×Fewer than typical	34,646	$101,751	4,255
Computer systems design and related services	1,655	10.1	2.34×More than typical	15,570	$122,742	3,433
Full-service restaurants	1,564	9.6	1.25×About typical	23,420	$34,259	245
Management, scientific and technical consulting	1,519	9.3	1.39×More than typical	13,340	$92,666	9,064
Limited-service restaurants	1,496	9.2	1.14×About typical	21,745	$27,150	302
Construction of buildings	1,187	7.3	0.96×About typical	8,735	$97,943	3,958
Schools, colleges and instruction	1,092	6.7	1.91×More than typical	18,482	$50,251	6,357
Offices of other health practitioners	1,032	6.3	1.04×About typical	5,499	$46,073	4,334
Offices of dentists	981	6	1.49×More than typical	6,598	$59,922	309

Rank places for an industry Open Alameda County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 1,633,055 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $1.3B of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Berkeley, California: $10,432 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $1.3B; +0.5% vs FY2025
Per resident: $10,432; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.5%; US 30%
Single offer: 95%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of Energy$1.2B94%
National Aeronautics and Space Administration$39.7M3.2%
Agricultural Research Service$10.5M0.8%
Office of Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response$4.6M0.4%
Departmental Offices$4.1M0.3%
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency$3.9M0.3%
Department of Veterans Affairs$3.5M0.3%
Federal Railroad Administration$2.2M0.2%

Top recipients

THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA$1.2B94%
REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, THE$43.5M3.5%
SH MECHANICAL INC.$7M0.6%
HOPO THERAPEUTICS, INC.$4.6M0.4%
MORPHOSIS INC$3.5M0.3%

Spending by fiscal year

821.9MFY2017
948.1MFY2018
911MFY2019
1BFY2020
1BFY2021
1.3BFY2022
1.3BFY2023
1.3B

Top industries (NAICS)

Scientific research and development services · 5417$1.2B98%
Building equipment contractors · 2382$7M0.6%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$2.4M0.2%
Facilities support services · 5612$2.2M0.2%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415$1.5M0.1%

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Berkeley, California

THIS PERFORMANCE-BASED MANAGEMENT CONTRACT (PBMC) IS FOR THE MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION OF THE ERNEST ORLANDO LAWRENCE BERKELEY NATIONAL LABORATORY (LBNL). THE CONTRACTOR SHALL, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THIS CONTRACT, ACCOMPLISH THE MISSIONS AND PROGRAMS ASSIGNED BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (DOE) AND MANAGE AND OPERATE THE LABORATORY. THE LABORATORY IS ONE OF THE DOE?S OFFICE OF SCIENCE (SC) MULTI-PROGRAM LABORATORIES. THE LABORATORY IS A FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER (FFRDC) ESTABLISHED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (FAR) PART 35 AND OPERATED UNDER THIS MANAGEMENT AND OPERATING (M&O) CONTRACT, AS DEFINED IN FAR 17.6 AND DEAR 917.6.$20B
THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA· Alameda County, CA· Facilities & utilities· Oct 27, 2016 – Sep 29, 2026· DEAC0205CH11231
THE COMPTON SPECTROMETER AND IMAGER (COSI)$135.6M
REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, THE· Alameda County, CA· Research & development· Mar 23, 2021 – Aug 11, 2026· 80GSFC21C0059
GLOBAL LYMAN-ALPHA IMAGERS OF THE DYNAMIC EXOSPHERE (GLIDE) INSTRUMENT PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT (PHASE B) SUPPORT.$84.9M

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Berkeley, California, so they do not add up across cities.

Berkeley, California's figures are part of those of Alameda County, CA ($6B in FY2026), never added to them: 21% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Berkeley is mostly in Alameda County.

See federal money in Alameda County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Berkeley, California is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Alameda County70100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA83

Other cities and towns in Alameda County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/0606000

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends