Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety32#10,691/15,637
Economy73#4,216/15,631
Housing78#3,306/14,977
Health88#1,838/15,609
Healthcare97#458/15,650
Environment96#665/15,453
Education49#7,984/15,649
Infrastructure78#3,510/15,650
Community64#5,570/15,651
Leisure & amenities99#99/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where San Francisco, California ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “San Francisco County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Distance to an emergency room · low1.5 mi
100/100California 4.3 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesSan Francisco County value
Adult obesity · low17.5%
100/100California 30.4%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Access to exercise opportunities · high100.0%
100/100California 94.3%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSan Francisco County value
Dentists · high176 /100k
100/100California 95 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSan Francisco County value
Average weekly wage · high$3,776
100/100California $1,865United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSan Francisco County value
Primary care physicians · high172 /100k
99/100California 83 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSan Francisco County value

Weaknesses

Home price to income ratio · high9.9×
1/100California 7.4×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Drug overdose deaths · high52.9 /100k
1/100California 20.1 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataSan Francisco County value
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.522
2/100California 0.489United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Property crime rate · high2,987 /100k
2/100California 1,792 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationSan Francisco County value
Students per teacher · high21.2×
5/100California 21.7×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsSan Francisco County value
Child care cost burden · high41.4%
5/100California 29.7%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSan Francisco County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationFalling
874,961 (2015-2019) → 830,235 (2020-2024)
−5.1%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Public transit commutersWorsening
34.8% (2015-2019) → 18.7% (2020-2024)
−16 pts5 yearsCensus table B08301US 5.0% → 3.2%
New homes permittedWorsening
2.9 /1k (2021) → 1.8 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−40%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
87.6% (2015-2019) → 93.0% (2020-2024)
+5.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$112,449 (2015-2019) → $140,970 (2020-2024)
+25%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
36.7% (2015-2019) → 39.6% (2020-2024)
+2.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, San Francisco, California improved on 4 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 6. 3 moved within the margin of error and 2 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved4

Commute−3.5 min33.8 min → 30.4 min
Bachelor's++2.3 points58.1% → 60.3%
Household income+25%$112,449 → $140,970
Broadband+5.4 points87.6% → 93.0%

Declined6

Transit use−16 points34.8% → 18.7%
Unemployment+1.9 points4.2% → 6.1%
Poverty+0.8 points10.3% → 11.2%
Inequality+0.0120.510 → 0.522
Rent burden+2.9 points36.7% → 39.6%

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of San Francisco, California between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	33.8 min2015-2019	30.4 min2020-2024	−3.5 min	Improved	82%
Bachelor's degree or higher	58.1%2015-2019	60.3%2020-2024	+2.3 points	Improved	45%
Broadband subscriptions	87.6%2015-2019	93.0%2020-2024	+5.4 points	Improved	34%
Child poverty rate	10.0%2015-2019	9.0%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Within the margin of error	50%
Effective property tax rate	0.60%2015-2019	0.72%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Little change	5%
High school diploma or higher	88.5%2015-2019	89.0%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	39%
Home price to income ratio	9.8×2015-2019	9.9×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	73%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5102015-2019	0.5222020-2024	+0.012	Declined	40%
Median household income	$112,4492015-2019	$140,9702020-2024	+25%	Improved	45%
Poverty rate	10.3%2015-2019	11.2%2020-2024	+0.8 points	Declined	36%
Public transit commuters	34.8%2015-2019	18.7%2020-2024	−16 points	Declined	0%
Rent as share of income	24.1%2015-2019	25.1%2020-2024	+1 points	Declined	47%
Rent-burdened households	36.7%2015-2019	39.6%2020-2024	+2.9 points	Declined	45%
Unemployment rate	4.2%2015-2019	6.1%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Declined	17%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	4.2%2015-2019	3.8%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Little change	52%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like San Francisco, California five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of San Francisco, California in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, San Francisco, California itself moved −4 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

830,235 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69
50–59
40–49
30–39
20–29
10–19
Under 10

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 20–29 men (−1.5 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

830,235 residents

San Francisco, California
California share

White37%305,647
Black4.7%38,925
Hispanic or Latino16%134,659

Education

661,758 residents (±151)

San Francisco, California
California share

No high school diploma11%72,937
High school or GED11%74,592
Some college12%79,514

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

363,970 households (±1,953)

San Francisco, California
California share

Under $25k14%49,664
$25k–50k9.2%33,442
$50k–75k7.9%28,788
$75k–100k8.1%29,441
$100k–150k13%49,052
$150k–200k11%40,910
$200k or more36%132,673

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+9.4 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

363,970 households (±1,953)

San Francisco, California
California share

Own38%139,057
Rent62%224,913

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

218,315 households (±2,404)

San Francisco, California
California share

Under $75011%24,024
$750–1,0003.8%8,370
$1,000–1,50011%23,022

Home values

139,057 homes (±2,183)

San Francisco, California
California share

Under $150k2.4%3,268
$150k–250k0.8%1,125
$250k–400k1.5%2,044

Age of homes

414,602 homes (±403)

San Francisco, California
California share

2010 or later8.0%33,123
2000–20096.4%26,421
1980–19999.2%38,020

Size of homes

414,602 homes (±403)

San Francisco, California
California share

Studio15%63,501
1 bedroom26%105,976
2 bedrooms30%123,316

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

466,388 workers (±3,189)

San Francisco, California
California share

Drive alone29%133,460
Carpool5.9%27,726
Public transit19%87,355
Walk9.4%43,623
Bike3.3%15,399
Work from home31%144,584
Other3.1%14,241

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+24.4 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

321,804 workers (±3,688)

San Francisco, California
California share

Under 15 min14%44,503
15–29 min37%118,063
30–44 min28%89,837

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of San Francisco County, the county holding most of San Francisco's residents.

San Francisco County has 33,378 employer establishments, 409 for every 10,000 residents (1.65× the US rate of 248; 1.55× California's), with 740,362 paid employees at an average annual pay of $152,753. The Census Bureau also counts 92,048 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 33,378; 92,048 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 409; US 248 · California 263
Paid employees: 740,362
Average annual pay: $152,753; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of San Francisco County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	3,232	39.6	2.15×More than typical	45,725	$37,510	380
Ambulatory health care services	2,396	29.3	1.41×More than typical	26,017	$107,281	4,351
Lessors of real estate	1,991	24.4	1.98×More than typical	17,094	$135,319	9,373
Computer systems design and related services	1,719	21	4.86×More than typical	50,935	$195,712	2,546
Full-service restaurants	1,693	20.7	2.70×More than typical	28,795	$40,828	180
Management, scientific and technical consulting	1,510	18.5	2.75×More than typical	19,986	$193,168	7,352
Legal services	1,211	14.8	2.76×More than typical	15,019	$195,892	1,539
Limited-service restaurants	973	11.9	1.49×More than typical	11,344	$32,313	126
Construction of buildings	892	10.9	1.44×More than typical	12,408	$105,940	1,950
Specialty trade contractors	831	10.2	0.66×Fewer than typical	9,989	$102,050	2,080
Architectural, engineering and related services	808	9.9	2.84×More than typical	12,484	$130,506	1,116
Software publishers	805	9.9	18.0×More than typical	54,393	$240,613	—

Rank places for an industry Open San Francisco County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 816,926 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $1.4B of federal contract obligations were for work performed in San Francisco, California: $1,743 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $1.4B; +181% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1,743; US $1,995
Sole-source: 3.3%; US 30%
Single offer: 9.7%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of Energy$900M62%
Maritime Administration$100.5M6.9%
Department of Veterans Affairs$77.3M5.3%
Office of Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response$48.9M3.4%
Environmental Protection Agency$41.2M2.8%
Department of the Army$37.2M2.6%
Department of the Navy$31.7M2.2%
National Park Service$28.8M2.0%

Top recipients

GENERAL MATTER, INC.$900M62%
TOTE SERVICES, LLC$81.7M5.6%
OSSIUM HEALTH, INC.$48.9M3.4%
UNIVERSAL PROTECTION SERVICE, LIMITED PARTNERSHIP$26.9M1.9%
MANSON CONSTRUCTION CO$25.4M1.8%

Spending by fiscal year

5.3BFY2017
5.7BFY2018
6.3BFY2019
6.1BFY2020
547.9MFY2021
663.9MFY2022
648.4MFY2023
607.1M

Top industries (NAICS)

Basic chemical manufacturing · 3251$899.6M62%
Deep sea, coastal, and Great Lakes water transportation · 4831$92.2M6.4%
Scientific research and development services · 5417$75.7M5.2%
Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$39.1M2.7%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$38.7M2.7%
Investigation and security services · 5616

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in San Francisco, California

THE PURPOSE OF THIS TASK ORDER (TO) IS TO ESTABLISH NEW ANNUAL DOMESTIC COMMERCIAL HIGH-ASSAY LOW-ENRICHED URANIUM (HALEU) CAPACITY AND BEGIN PRODUCTION OF HALEU UF6 FOR PURCHASE BY DOE.$900M
GENERAL MATTER, INC.· San Francisco County, CA· Other equipment & supplies· Mar 4, 2026 – Jun 9, 2026· 89243226FNE400213
JOB CORPS IS A VOCATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAM FOR YOUTH BETWEEN THE AGES OF 16 AND 24. THIS CONTRACT IS FOR THE OPERATION OF THE TREASURE ISLAND JOB CORPS CENTER INCLUDING OUTREACH/ADMISSIONS AND CAREER TRANSITION SERVICES.$98.6M
MINACT, INC· San Francisco County, CA· Education & social services· Dec 14, 2020 – Jun 15, 2026· 1605JW21C0005
BONE MARROW CRYO-BANKING TO TREAT ACUTE RADIATION SYNDROME IN A MASS-CASUALTY EMERGENCY$69.9M
OSSIUM HEALTH, INC.· San Francisco County, CA· Research & development

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 7, 2026, loaded Oct 7, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in San Francisco, California, so they do not add up across cities.

San Francisco, California's figures are part of those of San Francisco County, CA ($1.4B in FY2026), never added to them: 100.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: San Francisco is mostly in San Francisco County.

See federal money in San Francisco County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

San Francisco, California is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

San Francisco County88100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA83

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/0667000

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends