Population
Boston
663,972
Oakland
438,072
Median Income
Boston
$94,755
Oakland
$97,369
Home Value
Boston
$710,400
Oakland
$924,700
Rent
Boston
$2,093
Oakland
$1,917
Crime Rate
Boston
6.28
Oakland
19.25
Cost of Living
Boston
180.6
Oakland
197.5
Avg Temp
Boston
50°F
Oakland
58°F
Unemployment
Boston
6.0%
Oakland
6.0%
How Similar Are Boston & Oakland?
Oakland is Boston's #8 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Boston
663,972
Oakland
438,072
Boston has a 34% larger population than Oakland.
Violent Crime
Boston
6.28
Oakland
19.25
Oakland's violent crime is significantly higher than Boston's — 67% difference.
Property Crime
Boston
20.22
Oakland
72.30
Oakland's property crime is significantly higher than Boston's — 72% difference.
Political Leaning
Boston
22.4%
Oakland
21.0%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 6% difference.
Unemployment
Boston
6.0%
Oakland
6.0%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 0% difference.
Median Income
Boston
$94,755
Oakland
$97,369
Both cities have similar median income — just a 3% difference.
Home Values
Boston
$710,400
Oakland
$924,700
Oakland has a 23% higher home values than Boston.
Education
Boston
38.0%
Oakland
35.3%
Both cities have similar education — just a 7% difference.
Demographics
Boston
47.8%
Oakland
30.5%
Boston has a 36% higher demographics than Oakland.
Cost of Living
Boston
180.6
Oakland
197.5
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 9% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Boston and Oakland share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Boston
0
Oakland
Cost of Living & Affordability — Boston leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDBoston scores 272.1 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 315.4 in Oakland. Boston has a living wage (family of 4) of $187,809 vs $205,435 in Oakland (9% lower). Boston has a living wage (1 adult) of $79,458 vs $86,915 in Oakland (9% lower).
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Oakland leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSOakland has a single-family homes of 46.4% compared to 18.2% in Boston. Boston has a median property tax of $4,335 vs $7,855 in Oakland (45% lower). Oakland has a median home value of $924,700 vs $710,400 in Boston (23% higher).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Oakland leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBoston: 403,888 vs Oakland: 247,557 for labor force. Oakland has a poverty rate of 13.7% compared to 16.9% in Boston. Oakland has a work from home of 23.4% compared to 18.8% in Boston.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Boston leads
Source: FBI UCRBoston has a property crime clearance of 5.7% compared to 0.1% in Oakland. Boston has a violent crime clearance of 31.1% compared to 9.6% in Oakland. Boston has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 1.26 compared to 6.80 in Oakland.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate — Oakland leads
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoOakland: 19.6" vs Boston: 38.6" for annual rainfall. Oakland gets 88 more sunny days per year than Boston. Oakland averages 50°F, about 8°F cooler than Boston.
Avg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Boston leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauBoston has a high school diploma or higher of 50.8% compared to 47.2% in Oakland. Boston has a bachelor's degree or higher of 38.0% compared to 35.3% in Oakland.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBoston has a population of 663,972, about 1.5x the size of Oakland (438,072). Boston skews younger with a median age of 33.2 vs 37.6.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Boston
Oakland
Healthcare — Boston leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareBoston: 3.7 vs Oakland: 3.3 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Oakland leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBoston has a public transit of 24.0% compared to 14.5% in Oakland. Oakland has a drive alone of 47.8% compared to 34.1% in Boston. Oakland has a work from home of 23.4% compared to 18.8% in Boston.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Boston, MA
Compare Boston against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.