Population 16,472 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Melrose
Household size in Melrose
| Period | Melrose | Oakland | San Francisco area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 3.16 | 2.66 | 2.74 | 3.04 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 3.19 | 2.72 | 2.79 | 3.10 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 3.39 | 2.73 | 2.83 | 3.09 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 3.22 | 2.62 | 2.75 | 3.01 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.06 | −0.04 | +0.01 | −0.03 | −0.03 |
Households in Melrose are large by national standards, averaging 3.22 people against 2.65 for the U.S. That usually means more families with children at home. Since 2006–10, household size has crept up from 3.16, even as the national average fell.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Melrose
| Period | Melrose | Oakland | San Francisco area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 29.3 | 36.3 | 38.6 | 35.8 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 32.8 | 36.6 | 39.4 | 36.8 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 34.0 | 37.5 | 40.1 | 37.9 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 35.7 | 38.7 | 41.3 | 39.0 | 40.1 |
| Change | +6.3 | +2.4 | +2.7 | +3.1 | +2.3 |
With a median age of just 35.7, Melrose is far younger than the country as a whole (40.1), a population that tilts toward young families with children. The median age has climbed from 29.3 in 2006–10, as it has nationally. Residents skew youngest in the southeast and oldest in the center.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Melrose
| Period | Melrose | Oakland | San Francisco area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 24.1% | 15.6% | 10.3% | 13.5% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 19.1% | 15.6% | 9.9% | 13.5% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 19.1% | 12.8% | 9.1% | 12.3% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 23.0% | 12.8% | 8.8% | 12.3% | 11.6% |
| Change | −1.1 pts | −2.8 pts | −1.5 pts | −1.2 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head more than one in five households in Melrose (23.0%), well above the national share of 11.6%. The single-parent share has edged down 1.1 points since 2006–10, mirroring the country. Melrose has a higher share of single-parent households than the great majority of Oakland neighborhoods.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Melrose
Renters in Melrose
| Period | Melrose | Oakland | San Francisco area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 65.2% | 57.8% | 43.7% | 42.6% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 63.9% | 60.3% | 46.2% | 45.2% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 64.2% | 59.5% | 45.3% | 45.2% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 57.6% | 57.9% | 44.5% | 44.1% | 34.8% |
| Change | −7.7 pts | +0.2 pts | +0.8 pts | +1.5 pts | +1.5 pts |
Renters far outnumber owners in Melrose: 57.6% of households rent their homes, against 34.8% nationally. About a quarter of owners (25.7%) have paid off their mortgages, well below the national share of 39.8%. Rentals cluster in the west; owners are most common in the northeast. The renter share has fallen 7.7 points since 2006–10, even as the national share rose.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Melrose
| Period | Melrose | Oakland | San Francisco area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 11.3% | 12.2% | 8.6% | 8.7% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 11.0% | 9.7% | 7.1% | 8.1% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 8.0% | 7.3% | 6.5% | 7.5% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 7.5% | 8.1% | 7.5% | 7.3% | 9.6% |
| Change | −3.8 pts | −4.1 pts | −1.1 pts | −1.4 pts | −1.8 pts |
Fewer homes sit empty in Melrose than nationally: 7.5%, against 9.6% for the U.S. That is in line with the rest of Oakland. Vacancy is down 3.8 points from 2006–10, as it has nationally.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Melrose
| Period | Melrose | Oakland | San Francisco area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1947 | 1951 | 1964 | 1972 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1944 | 1953 | 1965 | 1973 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1945 | 1954 | 1966 | 1974 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1946 | 1958 | 1968 | 1976 | 1980 |
| Change | −1 | +7 | +4 | +4 | +6 |
Melrose is a place of older homes: half were built before 1946, while the national median is 1980. That means established neighborhoods, and more houses that may need updating. Newer construction is concentrated in the southeast, while the northeast has the oldest housing.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Melrose
| Period | Melrose | Oakland | San Francisco area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $966 | $1,120 | $1,452 | $1,298 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $997 | $1,201 | $1,551 | $1,379 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,363 | $1,591 | $2,139 | $1,721 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,674 | $2,124 | $2,666 | $2,229 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$708 | +$1,004 | +$1,214 | +$931 | +$606 |
Rent in Melrose runs $1,674 a month at the median, utilities included, above the U.S. median of $1,571. Still, rents here are lower than in Oakland as a whole ($2,124). Rent has climbed $708 a month since 2006–10, up 73%, faster than rents rose nationally. Rent takes 35.9% of the typical renter's income, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Melrose
Bachelor's degrees in Melrose
| Period | Melrose | Oakland | San Francisco area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 10.0% | 32.4% | 42.5% | 29.1% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 13.2% | 35.0% | 44.1% | 30.1% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 17.8% | 41.1% | 48.9% | 32.9% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 25.6% | 45.9% | 52.2% | 36.3% | 35.6% |
| Change | +15.6 pts | +13.5 pts | +9.7 pts | +7.1 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in Melrose have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 25.6%, against 35.6% nationally. The share with a degree is up 15.6 points from 2006–10, mirroring the country. College graduates are most concentrated in the northeast and least in the south.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Melrose
| Period | Melrose | Oakland | San Francisco area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 59.5% | 75.9% | 86.8% | 79.9% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 60.2% | 78.2% | 87.5% | 80.7% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 62.6% | 80.6% | 88.8% | 82.6% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 70.9% | 82.9% | 89.1% | 84.2% | 89.3% |
| Change | +11.3 pts | +7.1 pts | +2.3 pts | +4.3 pts | +4.3 pts |
About three in ten adults in Melrose never finished high school, well above the national share: only 70.9% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% nationally. The share with a diploma has risen 11.3 points since 2006–10, mirroring the country.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Melrose
| Period | Melrose | Oakland | San Francisco area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 18.9% | 10.9% | 7.8% | 9.2% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 15.6% | 12.6% | 8.9% | 11.3% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 9.0% | 6.4% | 4.6% | 6.3% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 7.2% | 6.5% | 5.8% | 6.6% | 5.4% |
| Change | −11.7 pts | −4.4 pts | −2.0 pts | −2.6 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment runs high in Melrose: 7.2% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4% nationally. Unemployment has fallen 11.7 points since 2006–10, a much bigger shift than nationally. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Melrose compared with nearby neighborhoods
| Neighborhood | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melrose | 3.22 | 35.7 | 23.0% | 57.6% | 7.5% | 1946 | $1,674 | 25.6% | 70.9% | 7.2% |
| Seminary | 2.89 | 38.0 | 15.4% | 48.1% | 11.4% | 1941 | $1,986 | 40.8% | 80.0% | 6.5% |
| Coliseum | 3.03 | 26.5 | 30.1% | 90.4% | 3.9% | 1989 | $1,333 | 13.3% | 67.3% | 13.6% |
| Fruitvale Station | 3.17 | 34.7 | 15.0% | 74.0% | 7.0% | 1952 | $1,703 | 22.3% | 69.5% | 7.2% |
| Allendale | 3.21 | 39.3 | 10.1% | 45.9% | 9.7% | 1946 | $2,070 | 27.5% | 68.0% | 3.7% |
| Laurel | 2.29 | 43.4 | 10.4% | 39.4% | 4.7% | 1941 | $2,038 | 47.4% | 82.1% | 8.3% |
| Fitchburg | 3.23 | 35.0 | 8.7% | 69.3% | 2.7% | 1964 | $1,626 | 5.8% | 56.2% | 17.4% |
| Upper Laurel | 2.53 | 38.6 | 12.6% | 49.4% | 5.5% | 1958 | $1,970 | 56.7% | 91.9% | 6.7% |
| Arroyo Viejo | 3.01 | 36.0 | 28.2% | 58.5% | 8.8% | 1941 | $1,613 | 17.8% | 72.5% | 11.0% |
| Jingletown | 2.94 | 36.7 | 15.0% | 69.6% | 4.8% | 1982 | $2,186 | 28.7% | 72.8% | 10.6% |
| Fernside | 2.74 | 43.6 | 9.3% | 30.0% | 10.1% | 1942 | $2,739 | 63.2% | 94.3% | 5.9% |
All figures 2020–24.
Neighborhoods with similar populations: Auburn Gresham, Chicago, IL · Huntridge, Las Vegas, NV · Potrero, San Francisco, CA · Orangecrest, Riverside, CA · North Sutton Area, Manhattan, NY · North Creek, Bothell, WA · Merriam Park, St. Paul, MN · Lakeview, Stockton, CA · Lakeshore, San Francisco, CA · Kenwood, Chicago, IL
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Melrose. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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