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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.

A relatively large number of people in Alameda telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 23.06% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. 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.

Another interesting thing about Alameda, despite not being a huge city, is that there is a relatively high proportion of people living here who are young, single, and upwardly-mobile professionals. This makes it a good choice for other relocating single professionals. Here, these young singles will find many others like themselves, with opportunities for friendships, socializing, romance, and fun.

Alameda is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.

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.

For the size of the city, public transportation in Alameda is quite heavily used. Mostly, people who use it for their daily commute are taking a ferryboat. For Alameda, the benefits are reduced air pollution and congestion on the highways.

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 2018 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.

Foreign born people are also an important part of Alameda's cultural character, accounting for 24.68% of the city’s population.

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