The 10 Worst Hayward Suburbs For 2022


We used science and data to determine which Hayward suburbs are the real pits.

Not everyone is cut out for city life. Some people would prefer to live in the cities and towns that surround Hayward.

So the question arises, do the suburbs maintain a semblance of the larger-than-life appeal of their more famous neighbor?

Today, we'll use science and data to determine which Hayward 'burbs need a little tender loving care - the sore thumbs of the Hayward area if you will. Realistically, you can't expect all the suburbs to live up to Hayward proper, although Los Altos certainly tries.

Of course, not all suburbs of Hayward are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones..

We examined the 66 biggest suburbs of Hayward to find out the worst places to live. And while you won't necessarily find them on the worst places to live in California lists, these ten places are a little too far downwind of Hayward in terms of quality of life.

Here are the 10 worst suburbs around Hayward for 2022:

  1. Richmond
  2. Pittsburg
  3. Antioch
  4. San Pablo
  5. Oakland
  6. Concord
  7. San Leandro
  8. Pinole
  9. San Jose
  10. East Palo Alto

What's the worst suburb of Hayward? Richmond ranks as the worst suburb of Hayward for 2022 based on the most recent Census and FBI data.

Read on to see how we determined the places around Hayward that need a pick-me-up. And remember, don't blame the messenger.

Or, if you're thinking of moving to elsewhere in California check out the best places in California overall or the worst.

And remember, there are some good places to live around Hayward too.

Editor's Note: If you see a slight difference between the worst in state rankings and this suburb ranking, it's because of the methodology. We needed a way to include more places, so we eliminated crime and commute times as criteria for this analysis.

For more California reading, check out:

The 10 Worst Hayward Suburbs To Live For 2022

We'll get the ball rolling with Richmond, the absolute worst place to live around Hayward according to the data.

And in the world of worst rankings, Richmond beat the competition pretty handily thanks to scoring in the bottom 15% in three major categories. Income is the 2nd worst in the Hayward area, and to make matters worse, the city ranks 4th worst when it comes to home values.

But hey, at least it's cheap to live there. But there's a reason for that... it's Richmond.

You won't feel bad about not having a great income for the area, there aren't a bunch of places to spend your money anyway.

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 110,051
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $72,463 (2nd lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 6.3% (5th highest)
Median Home Value: $505,800 (4th lowest)
More on Richmond:  Data | Photos

Richmond, CA

Welcome to Pittsburg. Home to KMart, Big Lots, and a lot of gas stations.

This city is 29.2 miles to Hayward. Income levels here are the 5th lowest in the metro area, where families bring in about $83,163 a year, which doesn't go a long ways even on a shoestring budget.

But on the bright side, there are a lot of fast food joints in the area.

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 71,723
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Income: $83,163 (5th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 6.4% (4th highest)
Median Home Value: $425,300 (2nd lowest)
More on Pittsburg:  Data | Photos

Pittsburg, CA

Back up the highway we go for the third worst Hayward suburb you can live in. You might have expected to see Antioch on here. While the cost of living is low, your entertainment and work options are limited. And that's an understatement.

In terms of numbers, it's in the worst 15% for insurance, and the adult high school drop out rate is poor compared to other Hayward suburbs.

But at least there are nice parks to bring the kids during the day.

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 111,468
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Median Income: $80,234 (4th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 8.5% (2nd highest)
Median Home Value: $428,800 (3rd lowest)
More on Antioch:  Data | Photos

Antioch, CA

Source: Public domain

If you live in San Pablo, most likely you struggle to make ends meet every month. It ranks as the lowest Hayward suburb when it comes to residents making money.

Not only that, but this is the 3rd worst unemployed suburb you can live in if you choose to live near Hayward. Remember, we looked at 66 cities for this study.

San Pablo is about 26.5 miles to downtown.

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 30,959
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Median Income: $60,819 (lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 6.8% (3rd highest)
Median Home Value: $380,700 (lowest)
More on San Pablo:  Data | Photos

San Pablo, CA

Source: Public domain

Oakland has the distinction of being a Hayward suburb. Which means that's about all it has going for it.

All snarkiness aside, Oakland has the 12th lowest home values in the metro Hayward area, where the median price is $730,000. To put that into perspective, in Los Altos, the median income is $250,001, which is the best in the area.

Oakland has an unemployment rate of 5.97% which ranks 8th worst.

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 422,575
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
Median Income: $80,143 (3rd lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 6.0% (8th highest)
Median Home Value: $730,000 (12th lowest)
More on Oakland:  Data | Photos

Oakland, CA

Concord has 129,227 residents that probably know it's a pretty crummy place to live when you look at the data. (Or, if you've ever been there, you don't need to look at the data.)

Incomes are towards the bottom and the poverty rate sits at 9.010903426791275%.

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 129,227
Rank Last Year: 6 (No Change)
Median Income: $92,706 (9th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 4.7% (18th highest)
Median Home Value: $581,900 (8th lowest)
More on Concord:  Data | Photos

Concord, CA

Source: Public domain

Ah, San Leandro. You rank as the 7th worst place to live around Hayward.

It's the place with the 15th most out of work residents in the Hayward metro area (4.99%).

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 90,489
Rank Last Year: 7 (No Change)
Median Income: $86,604 (7th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 5.0% (15th highest)
Median Home Value: $624,900 (11th lowest)
More on San Leandro:  Data | Photos

San Leandro, CA

Pinole is a city about 28.3 miles from Hayward, but Hayward probably wishes it was further away. It ranks as the 8th worst burb for 2018.

You'd be hard pressed to find a worse place to live. Pinole has the 6th most uninsured people, 13th worst incomes, and has the 12th highest unemployment rate (5.13%) in the entire Hayward metro area.

Homes only cost $567,900 for a reason. That's cheap for Hayward standards.

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 19,343
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 1)
Median Income: $104,904 (13th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 5.1% (12th highest)
Median Home Value: $567,900 (7th lowest)
More on Pinole:  Data | Photos

Pinole, CA

Source: Public domain

If you absolutely have to live near Hayward, then San Jose might be a place for you to consider as it's only the 9th worst Hayward suburb.

About 4.65% of residents are out of work.

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 1,029,409
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 1)
Median Income: $117,324 (23rd lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 4.6% (19th highest)
Median Home Value: $925,800 (23rd lowest)
More on San Jose:  Data | Photos

San Jose, CA

Rounding out the ten worst Hayward suburbs to call home is East Palo Alto.

Located 11.2 miles outside the city, East Palo Altos is a real pit when you look at the data. Its residents have the 3highest unemployment rate (4.14%), and poverty is far above the area average.

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 29,448
Rank Last Year: 8 (Down 2)
Median Income: $83,511 (6th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 4.1% (3highest)
Median Home Value: $941,300 (27th lowest)
More on East Palo Alto:  Data | Photos

East Palo Alto, CA

Methodology: Determining The Worst Suburbs Around Hayward for 2022

To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what cities have the least amount of those things.

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the most recent American Community Survey data from 2016-2020, this is the criteria we used:

  • High unemployment rate
  • Low median household incomes
  • Low population density (no things to do)
  • Low home values
  • A lot of high school drop outs
  • High poverty
  • High rate of uninsured families

FYI: We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Hayward.

Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 66 suburbs to evaluate around Hayward.

We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 66 in each category, where 1 was the "worst".

Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality of life index.

And finally, we crowned the city with the worst quality of life index the "Worst Suburb near Hayward." We're lookin' at you, Richmond. You can download the data here.

Read on below to learn more about what it's like to live in the worst of the worst. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from worst to best.

Summary: The areas around Hayward where the dream is more of a nightmare for 2022

Well there you have it -- the worst of the 'burbs surrounding Hayward with Richmond casting itself ahead of the pack.

As we mentioned earlier, the suburbs around Hayward aren't all bad. Los Altos takes the cake as the best place to live around Hayward.

  • Los Altos
  • Piedmont
  • Belvedere

For more California reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Hayward Suburbs

Rank City Population Median Income Median Home Values
1 Richmond 110,051 $72,463 $505,800
2 Pittsburg 71,723 $83,163 $425,300
3 Antioch 111,468 $80,234 $428,800
4 San Pablo 30,959 $60,819 $380,700
5 Oakland 422,575 $80,143 $730,000
6 Concord 129,227 $92,706 $581,900
7 San Leandro 90,489 $86,604 $624,900
8 Pinole 19,343 $104,904 $567,900
9 San Jose 1,029,409 $117,324 $925,800
10 East Palo Alto 29,448 $83,511 $941,300
11 Brisbane 4,645 $114,583 $926,500
12 Daly City 107,197 $99,910 $851,800
13 El Cerrito 25,280 $108,294 $858,000
14 Brentwood 63,013 $113,298 $610,000
15 Hercules 26,090 $110,669 $564,600
16 Berkeley 123,065 $91,259 $1,059,500
17 Martinez 38,397 $109,994 $622,800
18 Alameda 79,827 $106,737 $920,200
19 Half Moon Bay 12,583 $131,233 $1,155,000
20 Walnut Creek 69,836 $108,689 $814,900
21 South San Francisco 66,878 $106,005 $911,000
22 Newark 48,148 $127,619 $816,100
23 Pleasant Hill 34,903 $125,573 $777,700
24 San Mateo 103,619 $126,102 $1,186,400
25 San Bruno 44,663 $113,103 $958,300
26 Milpitas 75,182 $137,000 $927,200
27 Emeryville 11,679 $104,063 $538,300
28 Santa Clara 126,723 $136,870 $1,120,400
29 Livermore 91,763 $131,664 $806,100
30 Pacifica 38,663 $130,466 $943,500
31 Albany 20,145 $103,132 $907,700
32 Fremont 234,829 $142,374 $999,500
33 Campbell 42,891 $122,644 $1,156,000
34 Mountain View 80,104 $144,116 $1,560,600
35 Mountain View 80,104 $144,116 $1,560,600
36 Mountain View 80,104 $144,116 $1,560,600
37 Mountain View 80,104 $144,116 $1,560,600
38 Moraga 16,896 $152,788 $1,171,500
39 Sausalito 7,177 $120,920 $1,451,800
40 Pleasanton 79,975 $160,689 $1,056,100
41 Dublin 63,856 $152,745 $934,500
42 Millbrae 22,998 $126,319 $1,528,900
43 Belmont 26,963 $160,046 $1,604,700
44 Sunnyvale 152,569 $150,464 $1,397,200
45 Clayton 11,585 $153,607 $806,600
46 San Ramon 81,344 $167,345 $1,001,600
47 Menlo Park 35,211 $167,567 $2,000,001
48 Danville 44,933 $167,827 $1,152,300
49 Palo Alto 67,973 $174,003 $2,000,001
50 Burlingame 30,071 $138,344 $2,000,001
51 Lafayette 25,949 $188,140 $1,557,200
52 Los Gatos 31,943 $156,270 $1,775,500
53 Cupertino 59,799 $182,857 $1,866,200
54 Saratoga 31,084 $201,046 $2,000,001
55 Tiburon 9,167 $178,125 $2,000,001
56 Portola Valley 4,568 $235,469 $2,000,001
57 Woodside 5,593 $250,001 $2,000,001
58 Atherton 7,060 $250,001 $2,000,001
59 San Carlos 29,647 $189,739 $1,756,800
60 Hillsborough 11,608 $250,001 $2,000,001
61 Monte Sereno 3,511 $250,001 $2,000,001
62 Orinda 19,461 $231,230 $1,515,500
63 Los Altos Hills 8,496 $250,001 $2,000,001
64 Belvedere 2,246 $247,768 $2,000,001
65 Piedmont 11,454 $250,001 $2,000,001
66 Los Altos 30,878 $240,094 $2,000,001

How Is Your Town In ?

Editor's Note: This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don't freak out we updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the worst suburbs around Hayward.
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.