Alameda County, California Population and Demographics

Geography and Location: Where is Alameda county? Alameda County is located in the eastern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, in Northern California. It is bordered by Contra Costa County to the north, San Joaquin County to the east, Santa Clara County to the south, and San Mateo County to the west across the bay. The county covers an area of approximately 821 square miles (2,124 square kilometres).

Alameda County map:

 alameda county map

Alameda County zip code: 

Please note that zip codes might have changed or been added after my last update.

Cities and Communities: Alameda County comprises a variety of cities and communities, each with its unique character. Some of the major cities in the county include Oakland, Berkeley, Fremont, Hayward, and Pleasanton. Each city offers its own set of research opportunities, from urban studies and public policy research in Oakland to technology-related research in Fremont, the home of many tech companies. In this article, we’ll list all the cities in Alameda County.

Economy and Innovation: The economy of Alameda County is diverse and driven by various sectors. Historically, the county has been associated with the shipping and manufacturing industries, but in recent decades, it has seen significant growth in the technology and healthcare sectors. The presence of Silicon Valley nearby has contributed to the rise of tech startups and established companies in the county, providing a fertile ground for research related to innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology development.

Education and Research Institutions: Alameda County houses several prestigious educational institutions that foster a vibrant academic environment. The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), is one of the world’s top public research universities, renowned for its academic excellence across multiple disciplines. UC Berkeley offers numerous research opportunities for scholars and has a significant impact on the county’s research landscape.

Additionally, California State University, East Bay (CSUEB), offers a diverse range of undergraduate and graduate programs, while private institutions like Mills College and Holy Names University contribute to the county’s educational and research ecosystem.

Natural Environment and Outdoor Activities: The county’s landscape includes a mix of urban areas and natural beauty. It boasts several regional parks, including the East Bay Regional Park District, providing opportunities for outdoor activities, hiking, and nature research. The coastal areas along the San Francisco Bay and the waterfront offer insights into coastal ecology and environmental studies.

Transportation and Accessibility: Alameda County benefits from a well-developed transportation network, making it accessible to researchers and scholars. The region is served by various highways and public transportation systems, including BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit), buses, and trains, allowing easy access to neighbouring counties and cities.

Alameda County Population and Demographics: Alameda County, California, is a diverse and dynamic region with a population of approximately 1,673,133 people as of 2021, and a median age of 38. Let’s take a closer look at the changing demographics of Alameda county California, race/ethnicity distribution, and age and gender demographics over the past five years.

Population Changes:

YearPopulationChange5-Year Change
20211,673,133+0.7%+2.67%
20201,661,584+0.29%
20191,656,754+0.79%
20181,643,700+0.86%
20171,629,615

Alameda County, California Demographics by Race and Ethnicity:

Race/Ethnicity20212017Change
White29.9%32.2%-7.14%
Black/African American9.9%10.7%-7.48%
Native0.3%0.3%0.00%
Hispanic22.4%22.5%-0.44%
Asian31.4%28.7%+9.41%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander0.8%0.8%0.00%
Two Or More Races4.9%4.4%+11.36%
Other0.5%0.3%+66.67%
Two Or More Races, Other, and Asian demographics in Alameda County have increased.

The population of Alameda County, California by Age and Gender:

YearTotal Median AgeMale Median AgeFemale Median Age
20213837.438.6
202037.836.938.6
201937.636.738.5
201837.436.538.3
201737.336.438.2

Age Demographics (2021 vs. 2017):

Age2021MaleFemale2017MaleFemale
0 to 9100,393-3.26%94,816-2.65%97,15792,327
10 to 1995,653+3.11%93,581+1.93%98,61895,390
20 to 29119,404-5.76%118,609-4.92%112,616112,840
30 to 39124,771+12.37%129,640+8.05%140,913140,390
40 to 49117,649+1.1%116,124+0.23%118,929116,385
50 to 59107,024+0.58%111,675-3.17%107,624108,177
60 to 6977,611+8.52%86,654+5.45%84,41891,462
70+57,144+16.71%78,867+11.88%67,28188,606

Economic profile:

The latest median household income in Alameda County, California is $112,017.00. The median income represents the middle income of a group of people, where half of the people make more than the median income, and half make less. It serves as a good indicator of the overall income of a group and can be used to compare against other metrics like average income and per capita income.

Median Income by Age:

Age GroupMedian Income
Under 25$49,192.00
25 to 44$129,901.00
45 to 64$126,232.00
65 and over$68,247.00

Average Household Income: The average household income of Alameda County, California is currently $148,638.00. This metric is calculated by adding up all the household incomes and then dividing that total by the number of households. However, it can be influenced by extreme values, making the median income a more reliable indicator when summarizing income at a geographic level.

Household Income Tiers: The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. The following table displays the percentage of households in Alameda County falling into each income tier:

Income TierPercentage
Less than $24,99911.61%
$25,000 to $49,99911.50%
$50,000 to $74,99911.43%
$75,000 to $99,99910.56%
$100,000 to $149,99917.50%
$150,000 to $199,99912.72%
$200,000 or more24.69%

Per Capita Income: The per capita income in Alameda County is $53,815.00. This metric represents the average income of an individual in the area, considering all residents, regardless of their age or employment status. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Alameda County by its population.

Poverty Rate:

Out of the 385,606 families in Alameda County, 5.50% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest demographics and poverty distribution of Alameda county; with data sample of poverty thresholds in Alameda County based on household size:

Household SizePoverty Threshold
1 Person$14,580.00
2 People$19,720.00
3 People$24,860.00
4 People$30,000.00
5 People$35,140.00
6 People$40,280.00
7 People$45,420.00
8 People$50,560.00

Education and Employments:

Education Levels:

Educational attainment is a crucial aspect that reflects the overall education level of a population. In Alameda County, California, we can observe the distribution of education levels, which helps us understand how many individuals have attained specific educational qualifications, such as a high school degree, a bachelor’s degree, or a graduate degree.

Education LevelPercentage
Master’s degree or higher23.32%
Bachelor’s degree43.48%
Some college or associate’s degree6.61%
High school diploma or equivalent23.14%
Less than high school diploma3.46%

Employment:

The employment situation in Alameda County is based on the population aged 16 and above. The total population in this age group is 1,367,247.

The labour force participation rate, which includes people who are working or actively seeking work, is 67.50%.

The employment-to-total population rate in Alameda County is 64.00%. This rate represents the percentage of the total population that is employed.

Employment by Age:

The employment rates can be further analyzed by age to see how they compare to the overall employment rate.

Age GroupPopulationParticipation RateUnemployment Rate
16 to 19 years77,60629.90%15.10%
20 to 24 years95,77868.20%10.00%
25 to 29 years129,67884.10%4.90%
30 to 34 years143,72085.90%4.70%
35 to 44 years258,25785.90%4.00%
45 to 54 years223,31183.80%4.10%
55 to 59 years107,13076.80%4.60%
60 to 64 years97,77163.60%4.60%
65 to 74 years140,90429.30%4.70%
75 years and over93,0927.20%5.60%

Employment by Race:

The employment and unemployment rates can also be analyzed based on race in Alameda County. The following table shows the rates for different ethnic groups as defined by the US Census Bureau.

EthnicityPopulationParticipation RateUnemployment Rate
White517,06867.80%4.60%
Black or African American142,98463.00%8.40%
American Indian and Alaska Native10,36365.60%8.80%
Asian437,21067.20%4.30%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander11,18166.30%6.90%
Other150,33369.30%4.80%
Two or more races98,10871.00%5.70%
Hispanic or Latino280,49370.30%5.20%
Not Hispanic or Latino438,57467.10%4.60%

These statistics on education levels and employment provide valuable insights into the dynamics of Alameda County’s population, how education impacts employment, and how different demographic groups participate in the workforce.

Occupations:

Let’s examine the most common occupations in Alameda County, including the gender breakdown and earnings for each category. The total population of civilian employees aged 16 years or older in Alameda County is 874,563, with a median earnings of $61,470.00. In terms of gender earnings disparity, women in Alameda County earn approximately 78.10% of men’s earnings.

Population and Earnings:

CategoryEmployedMedian Earnings
Total874,563$61,470.00
Male465,906$68,372.00
Female408,657$53,386.00

Occupations by Category:

The table below breaks down the population and earnings by occupation category, displaying the number of people employed in each occupation and their respective median earnings.

OccupationEmployedMedian Earnings
Management111,730$108,673.00
Business and Financial62,944$87,729.00
Computer and Mathematical75,991$130,379.00
Architecture and Engineering35,084$115,252.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science20,347$94,255.00
Community and Social Service15,228$60,199.00
Legal13,143$115,657.00
Educational and Library51,714$50,817.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media29,618$63,111.00
Healthcare Practitioners44,007$94,760.00
Healthcare Support27,877$30,700.00
Firefighters and Protective Service10,091$37,974.00
Law Enforcement3,850$108,846.00
Food Preparation and Serving39,082$23,642.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning25,546$32,288.00
Personal Care and Service20,692$21,703.00
Sales70,196$43,064.00
Office and Administrative Support80,746$46,176.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry1,715$23,641.00
Construction and Extraction31,698$52,424.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair17,641$57,010.00
Production34,643$42,261.00
Transportation and Material Moving26,029$43,705.00

Occupations by Gender:

In this table, we have split the occupations by male and female to observe the number of men and women working in each occupation, along with the median earnings and the male to female ratio of earnings.

OccupationMale EmployedMale EarningsFemale EmployedFemale Earnings
Management61,124$127,422.0050,606$95,949.00
Business and Financial26,363$95,912.0036,581$82,858.00
Computer and Mathematical56,812$137,283.0019,179$112,240.00
Architecture and Engineering27,173$123,622.007,911$96,366.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science10,359$103,794.009,988$84,868.00
Community and Social Service5,100$59,840.0010,128$60,760.00
Legal5,851$149,479.007,292$98,297.00
Educational and Library17,146$56,613.0034,568$47,234.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media15,224$67,054.0014,394$57,435.00
Healthcare Practitioners12,754$102,667.0031,253$92,728.00
Healthcare Support6,648$30,245.0021,229$30,909.00
Firefighters and Protective Service7,749$40,489.002,342$31,613.00
Law Enforcement2,947$112,721.00903$84,468.00
Food Preparation and Serving19,173$27,175.0019,909$20,628.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning15,245$37,589.0010,301$24,787.00
Personal Care and Service4,529$26,265.0016,163$20,844.00
Sales35,746$54,361.0034,450$33,952.00
Office and Administrative Support24,353$46,761.0056,393$45,951.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry1,169$24,918.00546$16,698.00
Construction and Extraction30,792$52,502.00906$49,265.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair16,923$57,573.00718$51,577.00
Production21,952$49,694.0012,691$33,418.00
Transportation and Material Moving22,795$45,046.003,234$31,098.00

The gender-specific data in these tables helps highlight the distribution of occupations and earnings among men and women in Alameda County, allowing us to examine the gender pay gap in various fields.


Households and Family:

A household, as defined by the US Census Bureau, refers to a group of people occupying a housing unit, such as a house, apartment, mobile home, or single room used as separate living quarters.

Currently, there are 581,683 households in Alameda County, with an average household size of 2.82 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

In Alameda County, there are 385,606 families, with an average family size of 3.4 people.

Households by Marital Status:

The following table displays the number of total households and families, along with their respective average sizes, categorized by marital status:

Marital StatusTotal HouseholdsAverage Household Size
Married-couple family292,4883.49
Male householder with no spouse present28,4953.56
Female householder with no spouse present64,6233.59
Nonfamily household196,0771.47
Total Families292,4883.44
Average Family Size28,4953.16
Average Family Size64,6233.33
Average Family Size00

Housing:

Alameda County has a total of 617,045 housing units.

The table below shows the distribution between occupied and vacant units:

StatusTotalPercentage
Occupied581,68394.27%
Vacant35,3625.73%

Out of the total 617,045 housing units in Alameda County, approximately 42.32% (261,127 properties) are rental units. On the other hand, 50.79% (313,410 units) are owner-occupied.

Rental Rates:

The median rent for a property in Alameda County is $2,043.00. The following chart shows the number of rental properties in Alameda County within specific rent ranges:

Rent RangeNumber of Rental Properties
No rent paid7,146
Less than $50013,450
$500 to $99918,037
$1,000 to $1,49940,582
$1,500 to $1,99953,762
$2,000 to $2,49955,676
$2,500 to $2,99937,291
$3,000 or more42,329

Property Value:

The median value of a property in Alameda County is $870,100.00. The chart below shows the number of properties falling into specific value ranges:

Value RangeNumber of Properties
Less than $50,0004,090
$50,000 to $99,9992,367
$100,000 to $149,9992,487
$150,000 to $199,9992,602
$200,000 to $299,9995,070
$300,000 to $499,99925,861
$500,000 to $999,999157,555
$1,000,000 or more113,378

Property Age:

The age of properties in Alameda County is categorized as follows:

Age RangeNumber of Properties
1939 or earlier118,411
1940 to 194941,994
1950 to 195979,346
1960 to 196981,941
1970 to 197994,600
1980 to 198974,248
1990 to 199952,757
2000 to 200944,067
2010 to 201328,775
2014 or later906

Vehicles per Household:

The number of vehicles available per household in Alameda County is as follows:

Number of VehiclesNumber of Households
No vehicles available51,992
1 vehicle available189,734
2 vehicles available209,411
3 or more vehicles available130,546

These statistics provide a comprehensive overview of households, family size, poverty, housing, rental rates, property value, property age, and the number of vehicles per household in Alameda County.

Cities in Alameda County and other places:

Alameda
Albany
Ashland
Berkeley
Castro Valley
Cherryland
Dublin
Emeryville
Fairview
Fremont

Hayward
Livermore
Newark
Oakland
Piedmont
San Leandro
San Lorenzo
Sunol
Union City