Three signals pull against each other here. Crime is high and falling at once: property crime at 7,230 per 100k runs 270% above the national 1,954, while the violent rate dropped 47.1% year over year in 2024, a pattern SafeNest classifies as improving. Schools split the same way. The average is 4.0/10 across 117 rated schools, with elementary schools at 3.5/10 and high schools at 5.1/10, yet LPS Oakland R & D Campus rates 9.5/10 — strong options sit inside a weak average. Flood context is broader still: those 41 federal declarations belong to California between 1954 and 2024, not to Oakland, and not to a parcel. Every figure on this page is a city-wide or state-wide average, and city-wide averages hide block-by-block variation. A purchase happens at one address, which is the level none of these numbers reach.
Crime in Oakland vs. the national average
Oakland reports 1,925 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, 405% above the U.S. average of 381, and 7,230 property crimes per 100k versus a national 1,954 (270% above). In the most recent FBI reporting year (2024), the violent crime rate fell 47.1% year over year, a pattern SafeNest classifies as improving. Single-year swings of this size can also reflect changes in how agencies report crime data, not only changes on the ground.
| Oakland | US average | |
|---|---|---|
| Violent crime (per 100k) | 1925 | 381 |
| Property crime (per 100k) | 7230 | 1954 |
City-wide averages hide block-by-block variation — the safest and least safe neighborhoods in Oakland can differ dramatically. For a specific address, a SafeNest report covers it directly — or search free in the iPhone app.
Flood & natural hazard risk
Federal disaster records for California — the state SafeNest uses for Oakland's flood context — list 41 FEMA flood disaster declarations between 1954 and 2024, most recently "Severe Storm And Flooding". California has also seen 6 hurricane or tropical-storm declarations, events that frequently drive flooding. These are state-level federal declarations, not a parcel-level flood-zone determination — a specific Oakland address may sit inside or well outside a FEMA flood zone, which SafeNest does not determine; check FEMA's flood maps and flood-insurance requirements for that address.
Schools in Oakland
Public schools in Oakland average 4.0/10 on the SafeNest School Score across 117 rated schools. By level, high schools rate strongest at 5.1/10 on average, while elementary schools average 3.5/10. The highest-scoring is LPS Oakland R & D Campus at 9.5/10.
Registered offenders
Registered-offender data is meaningful only at the address level, so SafeNest does not publish a city-wide figure for Oakland: a single citywide number would blend blocks with very different profiles and mislead more than it informs. Registered offender counts by distance band for any specific Oakland address are included in a SafeNest report, drawn directly from the state's public registry. The iPhone app shows that count free for any address, and maps each registrant with Premium.
Compare other cities
- Compare with Fremont crime rate.
- Also on SafeNest: is San Jose safe?
- See also crime and safety data for Stockton.
- Compare how safe San Francisco is.
- Another city on the same data: the Sacramento safety report.
Check a specific Oakland address
City averages are a starting point. A SafeNest report covers one specific address — crime, registered offender counts, flood and disaster history, schools, air quality, taxes — delivered by email as a PDF.
Or search any Oakland address free in the iPhone app.
Common questions about safety in Oakland
Is Oakland, CA safe?
Oakland records 1925 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, 405% above the US national average of 381. Overall SafeNest grade: F, a city-wide average of reported crime. It does not describe a specific street or address.
What is the crime rate in Oakland?
Oakland reports approximately 1925 violent crimes and 7230 property crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024, the most recent FBI reporting year in our data.
Does Oakland have flood risk?
SafeNest reports federal disaster declaration history for the area. For Oakland, federal records show 41 FEMA flood disaster declarations for California, most recently in 2024; a specific address may still sit inside or outside a FEMA flood zone, which SafeNest does not determine — check FEMA's flood maps for that address.
How this page was built
Every figure here comes from the same public records behind SafeNest's grading. We published the full method and what it does and doesn't support in We graded 13,216 American cities with FBI data — including where a letter grade means almost nothing. City comparisons: safest cities in California.
Other city safety reports
Data compiled from public sources including FBI crime statistics, FEMA disaster declarations and the FEMA National Risk Index, NCES education data, and state registries. Last updated 2026-08-17. Figures are city-level estimates; verify with primary sources before making decisions. SafeNest is not a consumer reporting agency (see Terms).