Berkeley, CA: Population, ZIP Codes & Nearby Cities

Berkeley is an incorporated city in Alameda County, California. In the dataset behind this page it has an estimated population of 121,363, sits at 37.872°N, 122.276°W, and observes Pacific time. Below you will find how it ranks inside California, which ZIP codes it uses, the closest places around it, and how far it is from major US cities.

What are the key facts about Berkeley, CA?

What is the population of Berkeley, CA?

Berkeley has an estimated population of 121,363. That makes it the 61st largest of the 1,470 places we list in California, and the 4th largest of 20 places in Alameda County. The typical place in California has about 3,379 residents, so Berkeley is roughly 35.9 times the size of a typical neighbor in the state.

Estimates for places of this size carry wider margins of error than those for big cities, so treat the figure as a guide to scale. Our guide to understanding city population numbers explains why sources disagree.

Places in California with a similar population include Redding (121,313), East Los Angeles (121,187), Yuba City (120,456), Gilroy (118,993), Chico (117,668). Comparing these pages is a quick way to see how Berkeley differs from communities of the same scale.

How dense is Berkeley?

Berkeley has about 11,585 people per square mile (4,473 per square kilometer), which we classify as an urban core. Within California, it is denser than about 97% of the listed places. Streets at this level typically mix apartment buildings, mixed-use blocks and frequent transit, and many errands can be done on foot. Read how to interpret population density to see how we draw these lines.

What ZIP codes does Berkeley use?

The postal data lists 11 ZIP codes for Berkeley: 94708, 94707, 94705, 94704, 94703, 94702, 94709, 94710, 94720, 94701, 94712. A long list like this is typical of a large city, where dozens of delivery areas, PO box codes and institutional codes sit inside the same municipality. Codes beginning with 9 are assigned to the Pacific states (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington). Learn more in our guide to how ZIP codes work or check any code with the ZIP code lookup.

What time zone is Berkeley in?

Berkeley is in the Pacific time zone, which is UTC−8 from Coordinated Universal Time in standard time (IANA zone America/Los_Angeles). The area observes daylight saving time, so clocks move forward in March and back in November. The nearest listed place in a different time zone is Bullhead City, AZ, about 469 miles away, which gives a sense of how far the nearest zone boundary may be. Current local time: see the Pacific time hub. For the rules behind these zones, read US time zones explained.

Where is Berkeley located in California?

Berkeley lies in the western part of California, at 37.872° north latitude and 122.276° west longitude. The state capital, Sacramento, is about 65 miles to the northeast. The closest listed place in another state is Gardnerville Ranchos, NV, roughly 154 miles to the northeast, which shows how near Berkeley is to a state line. For big-city services, the nearest place with more than 100,000 people is Richmond, CA, 6 miles to the northwest.

Which cities are near Berkeley, CA?

The closest listed place to Berkeley is Albany, CA, 1.9 miles to the northwest. Of the eight nearest places below, 4 are in the same county. Distances are straight-line (great-circle) miles measured between place centers; see how distance is calculated.

Which county is Berkeley in?

Berkeley is in Alameda County, which has the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) code 06001. The county contains 20 places in our data, 19 of which have their own page here and 1 smaller communities that appear only in county and state lists. Other places in the county include Oakland (433,031), Fremont (241,110), Hayward (159,203), Livermore (90,923), San Leandro (88,815). Codes like this one help separate places that share a name; see the guide to counties and FIPS codes.

How far is Berkeley from major US cities?

Among six major hubs, Berkeley is closest to Los Angeles, CA at about 338 miles and farthest from New York, NY at about 2,560 miles in a straight line. Road distances are usually 10 to 30 percent longer. Try the distance calculator for any other pair.

Are there other places called Berkeley?

Yes. Our data lists 2 other places named Berkeley: Berkeley, MO (8,841), Berkeley, IL (5,048). When you search for Berkeley, add the state or county so you land on the right one. This page covers the Berkeley in Alameda County, California.

Where to go next

Population and density come from a compiled dataset and are estimates. They may differ from official Census Bureau counts. Verify important figures at census.gov.