Crime in Oakland, Pittsburgh, PA

Oakland is a neighborhood of 8,060 residents in Pittsburgh, about 2 miles east of downtown · Updated November 2026

Is Oakland in Pittsburgh safe?

Crime in Oakland is moderate, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of B. Most US neighborhoods have little crime: 75% of Americans live in neighborhoods with less crime than Oakland. Violent crime grades B+ and property crime C+. Pittsburgh as a whole grades B. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Oakland run from B to C, so check the map below.

B
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 627 of 1,000
Less safe than most US neighborhoods What this means

25% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Oakland as a whole, and 75% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Oakland scores 627.

Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more crime than most US neighborhoods.

B+
Violent crimeSafety score 722 of 1,000More violent crime than most US neighborhoods
C+
Property crimeSafety score 464 of 1,000More property crime than most US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Oakland

Map of Oakland shaded by overall CrimeGrade™, from green for the least crime to red for the most
Click the map to explore
F D C B A+
Highest crime Safest
Colorblind friendly off

How to read the map: each area's color compares its crime with the people, homes and cars there, on one national scale, from green for the least crime to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Oakland, Pittsburgh, PA at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Oakland in Pittsburgh, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.

Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports


Crime rates and types in Oakland

CrimeGrade™ estimates Oakland has about 52 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 41% more than the US as a whole and 16% more than Pittsburgh as a whole.

Overall crime

Violent crime

Property crime

Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. These figures include simple assaults and vandalism, which the FBI's violent and property crime rates leave out.

Theft is the most common crime in Oakland, about 44% of everything reported.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderBunder 10.070.05
RapeC+60.800.38
RobberyB+121.50.62
AssaultA-698.612.3
Property crime
BurglaryB+232.82.4
TheftB18623.113.1
Vehicle theftD-344.32.7
ArsonA-10.150.12
VandalismB-8911.05.5

Each CrimeGrade™ compares a crime with what it affects: people for assaults and robbery, homes for burglary, parked cars for vehicle theft. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.

Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.


How Oakland compares with nearby neighborhoods

Oakland has less crime than 6 of its 10 nearest neighborhoods.

Nearby neighborhoods

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
OaklandB627B+C+8,060
West Oakland 1 mileB653A-C2,750
North Oakland 1 mileB+712AC+8,390
Southside Flats 1 mileC+501B-C-7,480
Squirrel Hill North 1 mileA-796AB12,400
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Greenfield 1 mileB-581B+C-6,700
Southside Slopes 2 milesC-350CD+4,010
Shadyside 2 milesB624A-C-14,100
Bloomfield 2 milesC+535BD+8,400
Bluff 2 milesC+479B-D+6,610
Central Business District 2 milesB+708A-B-7,200

Nearest first, with each place's distance from Oakland. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).

Compared with neighborhoods of similar size and density, Oakland is safer than 70% of them.

Neighborhoods of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
OaklandB627B+C+8,060
Haywood Park, San Mateo, CAA-785AB8,040
Buckingham, Arlington, VAB+705A-B-8,050
Downtown Columbus, Columbus, OHB651B+B-8,090
Santo Nino, Laredo, TXB642BB8,100
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Townsend-Raitt, Santa Ana, CAB-615BC+8,070
Lyell-Otis, Rochester, NYD+234D+D8,050
Foster-Powell, Portland, ORD-148C+F8,030
Cheesman Park, Denver, COF0CF8,100
Sable Altura Chambers, Aurora, COF0FF8,100
Calumet Heights, Chicago, ILF0FF8,090

Empty homes, jobs and walkability in Oakland

Two things set Oakland apart: it has 24.7% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and 107 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson, and burglary and vandalism run high here.

Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.24.7% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 99% of residents of US city neighborhoods
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.107 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 89% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft and assault. 64% of residents here live in walkable areas.B+ (66 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 75% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Show all 4
Bars and nightlifeBars, lounges, clubs and casinos. Places with more bars tend to report more assault and robbery.1.6 per 1,000 residentsUS: 0.6Higher than for 89% of residents of US city neighborhoods

These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.


What crime costs Oakland

Crime costs Oakland about $1,379 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 14% more than the US figure of $1,205.

Cost of crime per resident, per year

Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost comes to about $15 million a year, or $1,893 per resident.


How CrimeGrade™ works

A CrimeGrade™ shows how much crime an area has compared with the rest of the country, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most. Every neighborhood in the US is graded on the same scale, so a B in Oakland means the same as a B anywhere else.

CrimeGrade™ starts from the crimes people report to police and measures each kind of crime against what it affects: people for assaults, homes for burglaries, parked cars for car thefts.

The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them.

Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.

Where the numbers come from

  • Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
  • State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
  • Population and housing figures from the US Census Bureau
  • Published research on what crime costs victims and communities

These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.

More about CrimeGrade™ data


Schools in Oakland

Schools in Oakland, Pittsburgh, PA average a SchoolGrade of D: 36% of students test proficient, against 36% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Oakland on SchoolGrade