Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 46/100
D
Median home value$1,202,200
San Francisco $1,140,700
Median rent$2,445/mo
San Francisco $2,474/mo
Cost-burdened households34%
San Francisco 38%
Albany
Alameda County19,414 residentsAlbany City Unified
69
B−
Suburbgrade score
5th of 59 San Francisco suburbs. Strong on amenities and schools, held back by housing & affordability.
69
San Francisco median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Albany yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 69 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Albany is like to live in, by category
Bars show Albany against San Francisco. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 78/100
B+
Within-state proficiency95th pct
San Francisco median 73rd pct
Student–teacher ratio21.1
San Francisco median 21.7
Graduation rate95%
San Francisco median 89%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 73/100
B
Housing cost index100
San Francisco 100
Eff. tax rate0.88%
San Francisco 0.73%
Local sales tax10.75%
San Francisco median 9.75%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 60/100
C
Mean commute30.8 min
San Francisco 31.0 min
Under 30 minutes55%
San Francisco 52%
Transit stops / sq mi17
San Francisco median 8.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 92/100
A
Restaurants & cafés186
San Francisco median 64 · within 2 miles
Groceries12
San Francisco median 7 · within 2 miles
Parks110
San Francisco median 59 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 69/100
B−
Median household income$144,107
San Francisco $136,027
Unemployment3.1%
San Francisco 5.7%
Professional occupations73%
San Francisco 56%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
—
No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Albany yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
—
Do you feel safe walking after dark?
—
Can you walk to a grocery store?
—
Is it good for young children?
—
Are yards and streets well kept?
—
Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Albany on housing & affordability
Albany's weakest grade is D. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Orinda8 mi from AlbanyB 65 C+ Alamo17 mi from AlbanyB 69 B− Tamalpais-Homestead Valley12 mi from AlbanyB 70 B− Danville20 mi from AlbanyB− 70 B− Lafayette11 mi from AlbanyB− 67 C+ Mill Valley12 mi from AlbanyB− 68 B− Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Albany
Is Albany, CA a good place to live?
Albany scores 69 out of 100, 5th of 59 San Francisco suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Albany expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $1,202,200, 5% above the San Francisco median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.88%. $2,445/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Albany?
Schools grade B+. The districts serving Albany sit at the 95th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 95% graduation rate and a 21.1 student–teacher ratio. Albany is served by Albany City Unified. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Albany?
The mean commute is 30.8 min, with 55% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 38% working from home. Transit density is 17 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Albany?
Within two miles there are 12 groceries, 186 restaurants and cafés and 110 parks, which grades A on amenities.
Are the homes in Albany old or new?
The median home in Albany was built in 1951 — older than the San Francisco median of 1968. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 55% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.
Six San Francisco lists
Best San Francisco suburbs for familiesMost affordable San Francisco suburbsBest San Francisco suburbs for schoolsShortest commutes to Downtown San FranciscoMost walkable San Francisco suburbsBest San Francisco suburbs for young professionalsCompare Albany
Every San Francisco suburb, side by side