CensusEasy
CITY

Berkeley

California · 121,911 residents (2025 est.) · 10.432 sq mi
Time machine
COMPARE TO
Part of the San Francisco metro area
Compare
Notable rankings
#97Most work-from-homeof 6,82637.1%#104Most expensive homesof 6,786$1,413,900#78Most densely populatedof 4,89111,686#203Most educatedof 6,82674.9%
The short version

Berkeley is significantly wealthier than the US average, with a median household income of $108,092. Population has grown 17% since 2000. 75% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, well above the national rate of 36%. Median home value has more than tripled since 2000, reaching $1,413,900. At a median age of 33.2, residents skew younger than the country as a whole. It sits in the top 10% of US cities for household income.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 33.2
US median: 38.9
More educated
75% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 107%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
120,257
+17%since 2000
from 102,743 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
11,528 / sq mi
+19%since 2009
from 9,670 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
33.2
+2%since 2000
from 32.5 in 2000
US average: 38.9

PEP 2025 EST:121,911 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)

Population, 1990 – 2024
99K106K113K120K127K1990201020202024Berkeley
2024120K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 53.3%(3,991)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 93.6%(4,319)
US avg: 6%
10 to 143.5%(4,152)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 1910.6%(12,699)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 2416%(19,249)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3415.7%(18,869)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4411.4%(13,725)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 549.8%(11,792)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 649.4%(11,361)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 749.6%(11,561)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.4%(6,446)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.7%(2,093)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$108,092
+33%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $44,485 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$69,534
+128%since 2000
from $30,477 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
60.2%
+19.1 ptssince 2009
from 41.2% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
17.3%
−2.7 ptssince 2000
from 20.0% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.537
+4%since 2010
from 0.519 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information6.3%
US avg: 10.8%
Other services5.6%
US avg: 6.7%
Arts, entertainment, food5.4%
US avg: 1.9%
Retail trade4.3%
US avg: 9.9%
Wholesale trade3.3%
US avg: 6.9%
Public administration3.1%
US avg: 4.8%
Finance & insurance2.7%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical1.9%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing1.1%
US avg: 2.2%
Education & health services0.7%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.5%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.5%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$1,413,900
+107%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $374,300 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$2,133
+58%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $740 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
44.2%
+1.4 ptssince 2000
from 42.7% in 2000
55.8% rent
Vacancy rate
11.3%
+3.2 ptssince 2009
from 8.2% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Owner cost-burdened
29.1%
−7.9 ptssince 2009
from 37.0% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
52.3%
−2.1 ptssince 2009
from 54.4% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
13.1
+7%since 2009
from 12.3 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
71
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in Berkeley on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic55.2%(56,691)
Black13.3%(13,707)
Hispanic / Latino9.7%(10,001)
Asian16.3%(16,740)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic49.9%(59,992)
Black7.7%(9,284)
Hispanic / Latino12.8%(15,343)
Asian20.4%(24,473)
Other9.3%(11,165)
Diversity Score
85
+11%since 2009
from 77 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican7.5%(9,019)
Central American1.6%(1,951)
South American1.6%(1,932)
Salvadoran0.9%(1,106)
Puerto Rican0.5%(637)
Spaniard0.5%(629)
Peruvian0.4%(437)
Chilean0.3%(405)
Nicaraguan0.3%(384)
Argentine0.3%(382)
Colombian0.3%(379)
Guatemalan0.3%(314)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Cuban0.2%(207)
Venezuelan0.1%(161)
Ecuadorian0.1%(121)
Costa Rican0.1%(108)
Dominican0.1%(92)
Uruguayan0%(26)
Bolivian0%(21)
Asian origin
Chinese8.3%(10,023)
Asian Indian4%(4,782)
Korean1.4%(1,736)
Filipino1.3%(1,510)
Japanese1.2%(1,458)
Vietnamese1.1%(1,319)
Taiwanese0.7%(868)
Pakistani0.4%(448)
Nepalese0.2%(295)
Indonesian0.2%(248)
Thai0.1%(138)
Laotian0.1%(109)
+ 11 more asian origin groups with data
Hmong0%(51)
Burmese0%(47)
Cambodian0%(46)
Kazakh0%(27)
Uzbek0%(25)
Mongolian0%(10)
Mien0%(10)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0.1%(140)
Samoan0.1%(70)
Fijian0%(20)
Tongan0%(13)
Guamanian0%(12)
Ancestry
German9.6%(11,571)
English9.5%(11,375)
Irish8.5%(10,260)
Italian4.7%(5,613)
American2.6%(3,163)
Polish2.5%(2,974)
Russian2.1%(2,473)
French2%(2,376)
Scottish1.9%(2,310)
Swedish1.7%(1,997)
Norwegian1.5%(1,785)
Arab1.4%(1,713)
+ 48 more ancestry groups with data
Iranian1.3%(1,530)
Ukrainian1%(1,250)
British1%(1,249)
Scotch-Irish0.9%(1,110)
Swiss0.7%(889)
Dutch0.7%(858)
Hungarian0.6%(745)
Welsh0.6%(740)
Austrian0.6%(731)
Armenian0.6%(676)
Greek0.5%(619)
Brazilian0.5%(593)
Lithuanian0.5%(572)
Portuguese0.4%(485)
Danish0.4%(462)
West Indian0.4%(435)
Lebanese0.3%(411)
Romanian0.3%(374)
Turkish0.3%(358)
Finnish0.3%(352)
Ethiopian0.3%(302)
Canadian0.2%(262)
Slovak0.2%(251)
Czech0.2%(249)
Nigerian0.2%(246)
Moroccan0.2%(233)
Belgian0.2%(224)
Egyptian0.2%(199)
Croatian0.2%(183)
Australian0.1%(156)
Haitian0.1%(139)
Palestinian0.1%(134)
Jamaican0.1%(132)
Latvian0.1%(131)
Israeli0.1%(108)
Serbian0.1%(100)
Cape Verdean0.1%(67)
Iraqi0.1%(66)
Syrian0%(60)
Bulgarian0%(47)
Slovene0%(37)
Jordanian0%(15)
Barbadian0%(14)
Ghanaian0%(13)
RANKED:Largest German population · Largest English population · Largest Irish population · Largest Chinese population · Largest Mexican population
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
74.9%
+10.6 ptssince 2000
from 64.3% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
95.8%
+3.6 ptssince 2000
from 92.2% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
42.0%
+7.7 ptssince 2000
from 34.3% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
27.8 min
+38%since 2000
from 20.0 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
27.2%
−14.5 ptssince 2009
from 41.7% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
3.3%
−3.5 ptssince 2009
from 6.8% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
12.4%
−5.5 ptssince 2009
from 17.9% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
37.1%
+28.2 ptssince 2009
from 8.9% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
13.6%
−3.1 ptssince 2009
from 16.7% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
4.4%
−2.2 ptssince 2009
from 6.5% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
20.7%
+3.7 ptssince 2009
from 17.0% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.6%
−1.6 ptssince 2011
from 7.1% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
60.1%
+1.6 ptssince 2011
from 58.5% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Self-employed
18.6%
−4.0 ptssince 2009
from 22.6% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
69.5%
−11.2 ptssince 2009
from 80.7% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.1%
−1.2 ptssince 2009
from 49.3% in 2009
Female
51.9%
+1.2 ptssince 2009
from 50.7% in 2009
Foreign born
21.1%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 20.3% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
2.1%
−47.4 ptssince 2009
from 49.5% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
10.9%
+2.9 ptssince 2012
from 8.0% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
2.8%
−88.6 ptssince 2013
from 91.4% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
94.3%
+5.8 ptssince 2017
from 88.5% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
English only at home
69.3%
−2.7 ptssince 2016
from 72.0% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
8.9%
+1.2 ptssince 2016
from 7.7% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married56.5%(29,087)
Married35.9%(18,461)
Widowed1.3%(677)
Divorced6.3%(3,266)
Women 15+
Never married53.8%(30,275)
Married33.7%(18,993)
Widowed4.3%(2,443)
Divorced8.2%(4,593)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Drill deeper

Places similar to Berkeley

Buckeye
Pop 125,445
Riverview
Pop 113,697
Boca Raton
Pop 101,582
Sandy Springs
Pop 105,013
Places similar to Berkeley
Head to head

Compare Berkeley to nearby cities

BERKELEY VS
Emeryville
Income$117,092+8%
Home value$604,800−57%
Population13,251−89%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BERKELEY VS
Albany
Income$144,107+33%
Home value$1,202,200−15%
Population19,195−84%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BERKELEY VS
El Cerrito
Income$127,876+18%
Home value$1,124,400−20%
Population26,121−79%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BERKELEY VS
Piedmont
Income$250,001+131%
Home value$2,000,001+41%
Population10,642−91%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Berkeley, California?

Berkeley, California has about 120,257 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Berkeley, California?

The typical household in Berkeley, California earns about $108,092 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Berkeley, California expensive?

In Berkeley, California, the median home is worth about $1,413,900, and the typical rent is about $2,133 a month.

How educated are people in Berkeley, California?

About 74.9% of adults age 25 and over in Berkeley, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Berkeley, California?

About 17.3% of people in Berkeley, California live below the federal poverty line.

Has Berkeley, California grown since 1990?

Yes, Berkeley, California has grown since 1990. The population has added about 17,533 residents, a change of about 17 percent over that period.

Keep going

Explore from here

Up the hierarchy
California
Rankings
Highest income citiesFastest growing citiesMost educated cities
Compare
Compare Berkeley with another place

DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →