Oakland is a large coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of California. With a population of 443,554 people and 116 associated neighborhoods, Oakland is the eighth largest community in California. Much of the housing stock in Oakland was built prior to World War II, making it one of the older and more historic cities in the country. Housing costs in Oakland are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in California.Oakland is neither predominantly blue-collar nor white-collar, instead having a mixed workforce of both blue-collar and white-collar jobs. Overall, Oakland is a city of professionals, managers, and sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in Oakland who work in management occupations (14.49%), office and administrative support (8.21%), and sales jobs (7.92%). Also of interest is that Oakland has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US. Of important note, Oakland is also a city of artists. Oakland has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Oakland’s character. Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 26.51% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. 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. Oakland 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. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities. One downside of living in Oakland, however, is that residents on average have to contend with a long commute, spending on average 30.71 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. Oakland, like many big cities in America, has a public transportation system, but the citizens of Oakland are lucky because theirs is one of the most extensive and widely used. Many commuters choose to leave their cars at home and instead use the subway to get to and from work. In fact, for some people it is feasible to forgo car ownership entirely, avoiding the cost and headache of driving in heavy traffic. The benefits include reduced air pollution and load on the road network.The citizens of Oakland are among the most well-educated in the nation: 48.75% of adults in Oakland have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree, whereas the average US city has 21.84% holding at least a bachelor's degree. The per capita income in Oakland in 2022 was $61,757, which is upper middle income relative to California, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $247,028 for a family of four. However, Oakland contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Oakland is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Oakland home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. People of Hispanic or Latino origin are the most prevalent group in Oakland, accounting for 28.72% of the city’s residents (people of Hispanic or Latino origin can be of any race). The greatest number of Oakland residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Oakland include German, Irish, English, Italian, and European. Foreign born people are also an important part of Oakland's cultural character, accounting for 27.50% of the city’s population. The most common language spoken in Oakland is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Chinese.
