Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California. Much of the country’s goods come in through Oakland’s seaports, which surprises most of the people we talk to. With over 440,000 residents living in Oakland year-round, it is the 8th largest city in the state by population and 13th in size with almost 79 square miles of land within the city limits. It’s no wonder that Oakland continues to grow in population each year as the Oakland crime rate is going down, enticing more businesses to move into the area. As is the case with any city, there are absolutely more dangerous parts of town and significantly safer neighborhoods. The lower the cost of living, the higher the crime rate and conversely, the higher the cost of living, the lower the crime rate. Even a “high” Oakland cost of living area is well below most of the state, which is excellent for our customers!
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Understanding the Oakland California Crime Rate – How Crime Rates Are Calculated
It can be a little confusing so it’s good to know how crime rates are calculated and where the data is pulled from. Most rates are pulled from FBI collected and analyzed data, then formatted for us to easily understand. The FBI Collects data from local agencies and categorizes the crime data they pull from the various local police precincts. Internally, data analysts will pick apart the raw data and put it into two major categories; violent and Non-Violent crimes. Most non-violent crimes are property crimes. Rates can vary, change, and evolve each year for a number of reasons and it’s important to know that rates don’t always give an accurate depiction of a city’s local crime issues…or lack thereof.
- Crime rates don’t include all offenses.
- Crime rates don’t consider unique factors contributing to crime in the city, the accuracy of the agency’s reporting, or the crime reporting practices in the city.
- Many crimes don’t have a uniform definition across cities and states. Reporting of offenses is often left to the subjective opinion of law enforcement.
- Crime rates can be misleading, and they are city-wide. The city crime rates you see reported are for the entire city and give no insight into your risk of crime in one neighborhood compared to another. You need to deep dive to compare neighborhood to neighborhood.
- Most city and state crime rates are based on the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) system. This was phased out in 2021 and replaced with National Incident Based Reporting Systems, or NIBRS. NIBRS collects data on more crimes, classifies 20 different categories, and differentiates between completed and attempted crimes. All of these are new and you should know the difference between the UCR and NIBRS when you’re looking at Oakland crime rate information and statistics.
The FBI very publicly discourages using crime rates and statistics to compare cities, metro areas, and states. While we try to give you the information you need to make a good decision, we recommend talking to locals from the area you intend on living in. Crime rates are a good starting point, you really need to dig deeper once you’ve settled on a city to move to before knowing where in that city you should live and where you should avoid residing.
What Is the Oakland Crime Rate?
The total crime rate in Oakland is 6,457 per 100,000 people which is high if you compare it to the entire national average of 2,346 crimes per 100,000 people – but really not that unreasonable when compared to other major cities. Suburban homes on the outskirts are significantly less likely to see or even hear of a crime more serious than traffic violations.
Oakland Crime Map & Crime Reports
One of the most significant tools for identifying crime by neighborhood is a city crime map. The Oakland crime map features crime hot spots and the type of offenses by neighborhood are visually portrayed to help the general public be aware of the safe areas and the dangerous areas in a given city. You can compare and contrast the public sites like City-Data, Neighborhood Scout, and Crime Grade to get a good idea of what neighborhoods are safest and what is most dangerous.
Violent Crime in Oakland
Most of our customers haven’t had much experience doing city research regarding Oakland crime rates so we went ahead and did the work for you. The violent crime rate in Oakland have been on a decline the past 18 months. The number of crimes are on the rise because the population is on the rise but the percentage based on the population remains the same and in some neighborhoods has been dropping. More on that to come. The following is based on FBI analyzed data from 2020.
- Oakland murder rate per 100k people: 23 (251.3% higher than the country)
- Oakland violent crime per 100k people: 5,653 (232.9% higher than the country)
- Chance of becoming a victim of violent crime in Oakland: 1 in 77
The FBI projects that over 88% of those crimes were gang related disputes.
Property Crime in Oakland
The Oakland Police Department has been receiving help from the federal government over the past decade to try to get the gang related violence under control. Property crime has gone down, although it’s still 163.8% higher than the rest of the country. There are 5,166 property crimes per 100,000 people. The additional support from the FBI and growing Oakland police department numbers means the small-time crimes are on a decline simply because of an increase in police visibility and response time. The city has made it a point to increase lighting to help deter nighttime crime as well.
Bad/Dangerous/High Crime Areas in Oakland
As a general rule, the closer you get to the urban areas of Oakland, the worse the crime rate is. When you get out to the outskirts, the housing developments, and the suburbanite abodes, crime rates drop significantly.
Oakland Neighborhoods to Avoid Living In
- Acorn Industrial – A mostly industrial neighborhood that seems to be home to dockworkers by day and crime at night. Acorn Industrial docks do offer some low income apartments but we recommend avoiding that area if you can.
- Loft District – The loft district is home to clubs, restaurants, and some office buildings. There are high end apartments that have some stunning views but beyond that, the condos and apartments are less than desirable. Don’t walk the streets alone at night as gang related violence definitely spills into the streets.
- Gold Coast – The gold coast neighborhoods wrap through western and northern Oakland. A large number of homes are for sale for exceptionally low prices. The cost of living is really low in this area but gang related citizens congregate and live in these communities. Avoid them.
Safest Neighborhoods in Oakland, CA
One thing you really need to remember is that there are definitely safe areas in Oakland. The less urban, the safer they are. The less urban, the better. Police make it a point to patrol these neighborhoods, keeping you, your children, and your property well protected and safe.
Best Oakland Neighborhoods to Live In
The best Oakland neighborhoods to live in include:
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- Dimond District – Perfect for working professionals and those that are trying to raise a family. The Dimond District consists of middle income housing developments and plenty of job opportunities. It’s the safest place to be in Oakland.
- Trestle Glen – Wonderful housing solutions. Attentive landlords, beautiful homes, and reasonable commutes. Some of the lowest crime rates in the entire city and the hills allow for upscale houses with unbelievable views. Trestle Glen is considered one of the few best neighborhoods to live in.
- Caballo Hills – The Hills, as they’re called locally, have the best views in all of Oakland. If you couldn’t see the city skyscrapers from the neighborhood, you wouldn’t even know you were a part of a major city. Considered to be the “Eden” neighborhood, Caballo Hills is where the wealthiest people, the retired, and the most respected seem to reside.
Oakland Safety Tips – How to Avoid Crime in Oakland, CA
At this point, we’ve helped thousands of people move in and around Oakland. There are five important things everybody needs to do to avoid crime and stay safe in Oakland:
- Get a security system. It’s such a simple solution. Security systems will deter and derail most property crime before it happens.
- Buddy system – especially in the dark! While it’s perfectly fine to work in the city and to enjoy the restaurants and clubs, we don’t recommend anybody travel alone, by foot, at night.
- Don’t voluntarily put yourself in a dangerous neighborhood. Spend the extra money on a nicer home or apartment on the outskirts in the northeastern part of the city. There are some fine neighborhoods on the eastern border as well.
- Lock up – Don’t leave your car, home doors, or windows unlocked. Simply locking up stops a lot of crime.
- Have automatic lights – Increasing lighting outdoors, and having lights that come on because of motion or movement will keep your security up, prevent theft, stop most break-ins, and is a great way to deter any unwanted criminal activity.
Oakland Police Department
We’ve already alluded to the fact that the police department gets support from the feds like the FBI to meet the demands of a booming population with gang influence. Oakland PD has an impressive website that is frequently updated. Led by LeRonne L. Armstrong,
Chief Of Police, the PD consists of over 700 active duty, sworn officers and over 370 civilian employees. The department is divided into 5 geographical divisions and the OPD receives 550,000 annual calls for service, and responds to over 250,000 law enforcement incidents annually.
Oakland Police Department | 455 7th St, Oakland, CA 94607 | (510) 777-3333
Oakland, California Crime Rate FAQ
Is Oakland, CA Safe?
It becomes safer every day but you still want to find the best neighborhood for you and your family. Some neighborhoods should be avoided because of high violent crime rates.
Where are the Safest Oakland Neighborhoods?
The further you are from downtown, the safer the city is. Stay out to the western part of the city and up into The Hills if you want to ensure the most police protection.
Where Can I View Oakland Police Reports?
The police reports are regularly published to the website so you get an idea of the murder, narcotic, and burglary problems.
Our priority is making sure that our customers feel safe and secure not only during their move, but after they’ve been settled into their new home for the long term. Safely moving your belongings can be a stressful event but it’s nothing compared to wondering whether or not your children are safe playing the yard! Once you’ve decided on the best place for you to move your business and/or family to in the Oakland area, give us a call at (650) 284-2931. We’ll be happy to relocate you to your new, safe neighborhood without you having to hurt your back or stress about everything that goes along with packing and moving. Fill out our online form you if you have questions or want to start the free quote process and a member of our team will get ahold of you with more information to get you into your new Oakland home!
