What it's like to live in Oakley
Oakley is a small city in California with household incomes running above the national average, crime rates well below the national average, and a growing population. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Oakley deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, long average commutes, and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low crime rates
- Growing population
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Long commutes
- Air quality concerns
- High student-teacher ratio
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Oakley compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Oakley
Based on Oakley's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,906
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $78,120 a year
- 49% of Oakley renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$132,040
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $66,020
- Homes cost 4.8× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 38% above US
$1,953/mo median rent
Rent is expensive here, at $1,953 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices are steep, with a median around $660,200. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $660,200 · 49% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 12% above US
4.8% unemployment
Unemployment here is 4.8%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 58% below US
139 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 750/100k · Oakley Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 55% above US
40 min average commute
Commutes run long, averaging 40.3 minutes, and that's just the average, meaning a lot of people are doing significantly more. This isn't a city where living far from the office is a comfortable bet. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 17% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 89°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 42°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 32% below US
24% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 24%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
11 public schools inside the boundary
There are 11 public schools inside the boundary. 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 Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial (19 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Oakley's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and crime rates well below the national average; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,953/mo) equals 17% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime and remote workers (17% of workers here already work from home). It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget, people who dread long commutes, and anyone who doesn't drive.
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