Best PlacesWest Oakland, Pittsburgh, PA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around West Oakland, Pittsburgh, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
West Oakland, Pittsburgh ranks 4,395th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low disaster risk by a wide margin, and a weak job market ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in West Oakland, Pittsburgh
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
West Oakland, Pittsburgh's strengths and weaknesses
Where West Oakland, Pittsburgh ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 83% of neighborhoods
- Health outlookBetter than 81% of neighborhoods
Where West Oakland, Pittsburgh ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Household income$28,285 median, better than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in West Oakland, Pittsburgh
A household needs to earn about $40,000 a year to comfortably buy the median West Oakland, Pittsburgh home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $28,285, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses West Oakland, Pittsburgh's effective rate of 1.11%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 3 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in West Oakland, Pittsburgh
West Oakland, Pittsburgh runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for West Oakland, Pittsburgh.
Who works in West Oakland, Pittsburgh, and how
Work in West Oakland, Pittsburgh centers on health care & social and hospitality & food. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 36%
- Work from home 17%
- Transit, walk, or bike 47%
Life in West Oakland, Pittsburgh
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across West Oakland, Pittsburgh.
What the weather is like in West Oakland, Pittsburgh, month by month
West Oakland, Pittsburgh sees roughly 74 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 86 degrees. January highs sit near 40, with lows near 23. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 31° | 23° |
| April | 66° | 53° | 41° |
| July | 86° | 75° | 65° |
| October | 68° | 57° | 46° |
Flying in and out of West Oakland, Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh International sits about 14 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 4.8 million passengers in 2025, with 104 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around West Oakland, Pittsburgh
Schools across West Oakland, Pittsburgh average a B−, better than 74% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Pittsburgh Linden K-5B · 50% proficient
Top middle schools
- Pittsburgh Classical 6-8D · 20% proficient
Top high schools
- Pittsburgh Science And Technology AcademA+ · 80% proficient
- Brentwood ShsA− · 63% proficient
- Pittsburgh Allderdice HsB · 48% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every West Oakland, Pittsburgh school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
West Oakland, Pittsburgh measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare West Oakland, Pittsburgh against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in West Oakland, Pittsburgh
Is West Oakland, Pittsburgh a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, West Oakland, Pittsburgh ranks 4,395th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on low disaster risk, transit, and heat safety, and lowest on a weak job market and empty homes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is West Oakland, Pittsburgh expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $145,594. The overall cost of living runs about 6% below the national average. Set against a $28,285 median income, cost of living beats 6% of neighborhoods.
Is West Oakland, Pittsburgh safe?
West Oakland, Pittsburgh is safer than 23% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $556 per resident a year.
Compare West Oakland, Pittsburgh with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to West Oakland, Pittsburgh. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in West Oakland, Pittsburgh represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
West Oakland, Pittsburgh detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for West Oakland, Pittsburgh: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in West Oakland, Pittsburgh: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of West Oakland, Pittsburgh: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in West Oakland, Pittsburgh: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
West Oakland, Pittsburgh detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.