menu
Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.

Alameda, CA
Real Estate & Demographic Data






Alameda profile


Living in Alameda



Alameda is a larger medium-sized coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of California. With a population of 76,040 people and 16 associated neighborhoods, Alameda is the 117th largest community in California.

Alameda home prices are not only among the most expensive in California, but Alameda real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Also of interest is that Alameda has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

Of important note, Alameda is also a city of artists. Alameda has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Alameda’s character.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 23.06% 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 thing noticeable about Alameda, although not a huge city, is that it has a large population of people who are young, single, educated, and upwardly-mobile career starters. That’s because Alameda is full of single people in their 20s and 30s and who have undergraduate or graduate degrees and are starting careers in professional occupations. This makes Alameda a pretty good place for young, educated career starters looking to find many people like themselves, with good opportunities for friendships, socializing, romance, and fun.

One of the nice things about Alameda 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 Alameda, however, is that residents on average have to contend with a long commute, spending on average 33.10 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.

Like elsewhere in America, most people in Alameda use a private automobile to get to work. But notably, a substantial number of Alameda‘s citizens do make use of public transit in their daily commute, primarily riding a ferryboat. This helps more people get to work with less air pollution, and require fewer highways to get them there.

If knowledge is power, Alameda is a pretty powerful place. 59.83% of the adults in Alameda have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.

The per capita income in Alameda in 2022 was $68,122, which is wealthy relative to California and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $272,488 for a family of four. However, Alameda contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Alameda is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Alameda home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Alameda residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Alameda also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 12.09% of the city’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Alameda include German, Irish, English, Italian, and European.

Alameda also has a high percentage of its population that was born in another country: 24.68%.

The most common language spoken in Alameda is English. Other important languages spoken here include Chinese and Spanish.