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Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.

Albany, CA
Real Estate & Demographic Data






Albany profile


Living in Albany



Albany is a medium-sized coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of California. With a population of 19,415 people and eight associated neighborhoods, Albany is the 316th largest community in California. Much of the housing stock in Albany was built prior to World War II, making it one of the older and more historic cities in the country.

Albany home prices are not only among the most expensive in California, but Albany real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Also of interest is that Albany has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

And if you like science, one thing you'll find is that Albany has lots of scientists living in town - whether they be life scientists, physical scientists (like astronomers), or social scientists (like geographers!). So, if you're scientific-minded, you might like it here too.

Of important note, Albany is also a city of artists. Albany has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Albany’s character.

A relatively large number of people in Albany telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 31.43% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Albany, while not large, also appears to be attractive to some younger, educated professionals, who help shape the character of the city.

One of the nice things about Albany is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.

One downside of living in Albany, however, is that residents on average have to contend with a long commute, spending on average 31.74 minutes every day commuting to work. It is, however, a pedestrian-friendly city. Many of its neighborhoods are dense enough and have amenities close enough together that people find it feasible to get around on foot. In addition, local public transit is widely used. For those who would prefer to avoid driving entirely and leave their car at home, it may be an option to use the transit instead.

In Albany, a lot of people use the bus to get to work every day though Albany is a relatively small city. Those that ride the bus are primarily traveling out of town to good jobs in other cities.

Do you have a 4-year college degree or graduate degree? If so, you may feel right at home in Albany. 75.20% of adults here have a 4-year degree or graduate degree, whereas the national average for all cities and towns is just 21.84%.

The per capita income in Albany in 2018 was $65,976, which is wealthy relative to California and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $263,904 for a family of four. However, Albany contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Albany is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Albany home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Albany residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Albany also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 11.82% of the city’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Albany include English, German, Irish, Italian, and European.

Albany also has a high percentage of its population that was born in another country: 27.05%.

The most common language spoken in Albany is English. Other important languages spoken here include Chinese and Spanish.