What it's like to live in Oakdale
Oakdale is a small city in California. The numbers below lay out what daily life there actually looks like.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Oakdale deals with home prices well above the national average, county unemployment above the national average, crime rates above the national average, and long average commutes.
The not so good
- High home prices
- Above-average unemployment in the county
- Crime above national average
- Long commutes
- Air quality concerns
- High student-teacher ratio
How Oakdale compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Oakdale
Based on Oakdale's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,118
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $62,360 a year
- 54% of Oakdale renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$91,580
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $45,790
- Homes cost 5.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 10% above US
$1,559/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,559 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices run above average, with a median around $457,900. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $457,900 · 54% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
7.2% county unemployment
Unemployment in Stanislaus County is 7.2%, well above the national average of 4.3%. Moving with a job already lined up matters more here. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Stanislaus County (county-wide)
Safety▲ 26% above US
414 violent crimes per 100k
Crime is worth weighing seriously here. Rates run above the national average, and while plenty of residents live comfortably, neighborhood selection matters a lot more than it does in a safer city.
Property crime 819/100k · Oakdale Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 36% above US
35 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 35.4 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 9% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 93°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 40°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 1.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 38% below US
22% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 22%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
9 public schools inside the boundary
There are 9 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 23:1, above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site (65 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Nothing in Oakdale's numbers stands out as a clear strength, and the main tradeoffs are home prices well above the national average and county unemployment above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,559/mo) equals 23% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up, people who dread long commutes, and anyone who doesn't drive.
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