How big is Berkeley, California?

Berkeley has a population of approximately 88,346 residents according to the latest U.S. Census American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023). It is a city by Census Place size classification.

Is housing in Berkeley affordable?

By the years-to-own measure, housing in Berkeley is very expensive. The median home value ($1,225,520) divided by the median household income ($88,996) gives a ratio of 13.8 — meaning the median home costs about 13.8 years of pre-tax household income. (Lower is more affordable; the U.S. median is ~4.) Methodology: /methodology/years-to-own/.

What is the climate like in Berkeley?

Berkeley has an annual average temperature of 60.6°F. The coldest month is January (average 51.1°F) and the warmest is July (average 63.7°F). Source: NOAA NCEI nClimDiv, 1991–2020 climate normals.

Is the climate changing in Berkeley?

Berkeley is steadily warming at a rate of 3.51°F per century, measured as the linear regression slope of annual mean temperature on year since 1970. Source: NOAA NCEI nClimDiv. Methodology: /methodology/warming-velocity/.

What is the median household income in Berkeley?

The median household income in Berkeley is $88,996, which ranks at the 77th percentile nationally — higher than 77% of U.S. Census places. Source: U.S. Census American Community Survey 5-year 2019–2023.

How did Berkeley vote in the 2024 presidential election?

Berkeley is strongly democratic-leaning. In the 2024 presidential election, the underlying county recorded 21% Republican and 75% Democratic. Source: MIT Election Lab.

What is the local economy like in Berkeley?

Berkeley's economy is moderately concentrated across major industry sectors, with a Herfindahl–Hirschman Index of 2,271. The single largest NAICS sector accounts for 39% of local establishments. Source: U.S. Census County Business Patterns. Methodology: /methodology/industry-hhi/.

What county is Berkeley in?

Berkeley is in Alameda County, CA. Alameda County has a total population of 1,736,257 with a years-to-own ratio of 8.6.

How old is the population in Berkeley?

The median resident in Berkeley is 31.8 years old, which is younger than the U.S. median of about 38.9. Source: U.S. Census ACS.

Berkeley, California — Commerce Institute

55 years

The slow remaking of a alameda

Per-capita personal income from 1969 to 2024, drawn from BEA County Income data.

Per-capita personal income

BEA Personal Income · Alameda County

Income up 23.6× in 55 years. Alameda County per-capita personal income rose from $4,709 in 1969 to $111,268 in 2024.

Time machine

Berkeley in 2024 is what San Jose, CA was in 2018.

Across our 8 dimensions, Berkeley's 2024 profile most closely matches San Jose, CA's 2018 profile. Similarity score -0.43.

The setting

The lay of the land

Topography

Elevation

190 ft

Coastal plain or river valley.

126 years of weather, in one panel

What weather looks like here

Annual averages back to 1900 (NOAA NCEI nClimDiv), severe weather counts since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events Database).

1900–2025 — every year's average temperature

Each stripe is one year. Blue = cooler, red = warmer. The trend is the story. Dashed line marks 1970, when the modern warming era began. 126 years of NOAA nClimDiv records.

Long-run shift

+2.6°F

1900–1929 avg → 2000s+ avg

Warmest year

2014 · 62.0°F

Coldest year

1911 · 55.5°F

By the numbers

Annual avg temp

60.6°F

↗ +3.0°F since 1900

Hottest month

63.7°F

July average

Coldest month

51.1°F

January average

Annual precip

17.5″

Below US avg (30″)

Heating degree days

2,504

mild heating

Cooling degree days

914

light AC use

Severe weather, 1950–2024

Counted events from NOAA Storm Events Database

Tornadoes

75-yr record

Hail

126

≈ 1 per year

Flash floods

276

≈ 3 per year

Floods

840

≈ 11 per year

Lightning

75-yr record

Within driving distance

In Berkeley's orbit

Nearby places — neighbors, the closest county seat, the closest college town. Click through to compare.

Daly City

CA · pop

Sausalito

CA · pop

Hayward

CA · pop

Piedmont

CA · pop

Oakland

CA · pop

San Leandro

CA · pop

Vallejo

CA · pop

San Bruno

CA · pop

Against every other US town

What stands out

Where Berkeley ranks among 32,000+ US Census places. Each dot is this place; the gray band is the national distribution; the red tick is the national median.

Industry mix

Local establishment count by NAICS sector · Census County Business Patterns · 2014–2022

Professional26%

Healthcare21%

Food & lodging17%

Retail16%

Construction12%

Manufacturing7%

Agriculture0%

What's notable about Berkeley

Top 2% nationally for home values
Top 3% nationally for population size
Top 1% nationally for housing cost burden
Top quartile nationally for household income (rank 77)
Top quartile nationally for education level (rank 84)

If you like Berkeley

Towns that feel familiar

Across our 768-dimensional embedding of demographics, climate, and economy, these are the places most like Berkeley.

#1 · 1.0

Newark

CA · pop

HHI$186k

Jan temp50°F

#2 · 1.0

Livermore

CA · pop

HHI$156k

Jan temp46°F

#3 · 1.0

Emeryville

CA · pop

HHI$128k

Jan temp52°F

#4 · 1.0

Alameda

CA · pop

HHI$132k

Jan temp52°F

Frequently asked

Common questions about Berkeley

Each answer is computed from the data on this page. Citation sources linked in each answer.

How big is Berkeley, California?: Berkeley has a population of approximately 88,346 residents according to the latest U.S. Census American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023). It is a city by Census Place size classification.
Is housing in Berkeley affordable?: By the years-to-own measure, housing in Berkeley is very expensive. The median home value ($1,225,520) divided by the median household income ($88,996) gives a ratio of 13.8 — meaning the median home costs about 13.8 years of pre-tax household income. (Lower is more affordable; the U.S. median is ~4.) Methodology: /methodology/years-to-own/.
What is the climate like in Berkeley?: Berkeley has an annual average temperature of 60.6°F. The coldest month is January (average 51.1°F) and the warmest is July (average 63.7°F). Source: NOAA NCEI nClimDiv, 1991–2020 climate normals.
Is the climate changing in Berkeley?: Berkeley is steadily warming at a rate of 3.51°F per century, measured as the linear regression slope of annual mean temperature on year since 1970. Source: NOAA NCEI nClimDiv. Methodology: /methodology/warming-velocity/.
What is the median household income in Berkeley?: The median household income in Berkeley is $88,996, which ranks at the 77th percentile nationally — higher than 77% of U.S. Census places. Source: U.S. Census American Community Survey 5-year 2019–2023.
How did Berkeley vote in the 2024 presidential election?: Berkeley is strongly democratic-leaning. In the 2024 presidential election, the underlying county recorded 21% Republican and 75% Democratic. Source: MIT Election Lab.
What is the local economy like in Berkeley?: Berkeley's economy is moderately concentrated across major industry sectors, with a Herfindahl–Hirschman Index of 2,271. The single largest NAICS sector accounts for 39% of local establishments. Source: U.S. Census County Business Patterns. Methodology: /methodology/industry-hhi/.
What county is Berkeley in?: Berkeley is in Alameda County, CA. Alameda County has a total population of 1,736,257 with a years-to-own ratio of 8.6.
How old is the population in Berkeley?: The median resident in Berkeley is 31.8 years old, which is younger than the U.S. median of about 38.9. Source: U.S. Census ACS.

Every number on this page comes from a federal data source.

Commerce Institute builds profiles from public-domain federal datasets only — no surveys, no proprietary scoring, no opaque indexes. Every metric on this page is queryable; every methodology is published.

U.S. Census ACS — demographics, housing, education, 2014–2023
BEA Personal Income — per-capita income, 1969–2024
BLS QCEW — wages by NAICS sector, 1990–2024
NOAA NCEI nClimDiv — climate, 1901–2024
NOAA Storm Events — severe weather, 1950–2024
Zillow ZHVI — home values, 2000–2025
FHFA HPI — housing index, 1975–2025
IRS SOI Migration — net flows + AGI, 1991–2022
MIT Election Lab — presidential, 2008–2024
Census CBP — business establishments by NAICS, 2014–2022
USGS Elevation — place elevation
OpenStreetMap — retail brand presence, F&B amenities
+ 23 more sources — covering health, schools, banking, agriculture, mobility, civic life

Rendered 2026-05-12. See methodology for every metric definition.

Berkeley,
California.

94704

Alameda County, CA

California

The slow remaking of a alameda

The lay of the land

What weather looks like here

In Berkeley's orbit

What stands out

What's notable about Berkeley

Towns that feel familiar

Common questions about Berkeley

Every number on this page comes from a federal data source.