Metro area · California
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA is a metropolitan area of 5 counties in California, home to 4,630,041 residents. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area has a quality-of-life score of 83 out of 100 (very high), ranking #158 of 925 US metro and micro areas. Among metro and micro areas based in California it ranks #7 of 34. It ranks best on average weekly wage (high), public transit commuters (high) and median household income (high). It ranks worst on home price to income ratio (high), cost of buying a home today (high) and average commute time (high).
- Quality-of-life score
- #158 of 925 metro and micro areas
- California
- #7 of 34 in CA
- Population
- 4,630,041 (2025)
- Land area
- 2,470 mi²
- Density
- 1,874.7 /mi²
- CBSA code
- 41860
Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 69 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.
Scores by category
Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.
- Safety44#522/924
- Economy91#86/925
- Housing10#830/925
- Health98#18/925
- Healthcare99#9/923
- Environment55#409/917
- Education85#143/925
- Infrastructure95#47/925
- Community40#552/925
- Leisure & amenities96#36/925
Strengths · Weaknesses
Indicators where San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).
Strengths
- Average weekly wage · high$2,816
- Public transit commuters · high8.7%
- Median household income · high$136,027
- Access to exercise opportunities · high99.0%100/100California 94.3%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Adult obesity · low22.7%100/100California 30.4%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Comfortable days · high46.7%99/100California 34.8%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Weaknesses
- Home price to income ratio · high8.4×
- Cost of buying a home today · high59.8%
- Average commute time · high31.0 min
- Severe housing problems · high22.6%3/100California 25.8%United States 16.8%2017-2021University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Property crime rate · high2,441 /100k4/100California 1,792 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
- Median Air Quality Index · high53
Trends
The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.
- Drought exposureImproving
99% (2021) → 0% (Nov 2025–Oct 2026)
−99 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
- High ozone daysImproving
3 days (2017) → 1 days (2022)
−72%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
- Child care cost burdenWorsening
25.1% (2020 & 2021) → 36.0% (2023 & 2024)
+11 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
- Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
50.3% (Dec 2021) → 59.8% (Aug 2026)
+9.5 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
- Homicide rateImproving
6.3 /100k (2021) → 3.4 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−46%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
- Public transit commutersWorsening
17.6% (2015-2019) → 8.7% (2020-2024)
−8.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B08301US 5.0% → 3.2%
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.
Metro and micro areas like San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area five years ago that improved
The places whose measures looked most like those of San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area 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.
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).
Income
How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.
Homes
Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.
Getting to work
How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.
Jobs and pay
What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.
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.
Federal contract spending
Federal grants & assistance
Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.
Counties in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.
Principal cities
The cities the area is named for.
- BerkeleyPrincipal city120,257
- FremontPrincipal city228,295
- LivermorePrincipal city85,522
- OaklandPrincipal city439,418
- PleasantonPrincipal city76,960
- Redwood CityPrincipal city82,447
- San FranciscoPrincipal city830,235
- San MateoPrincipal city103,105
- San RafaelPrincipal city60,433
- San RamonPrincipal city85,993
- South San FranciscoPrincipal city64,305
- Walnut CreekPrincipal city70,088
Largest cities and towns
By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.
- San Francisco830,235
- Oakland439,418
- Fremont228,295
- Hayward158,801
- Concord124,035
- Berkeley120,257
- Antioch116,477
- Richmond115,505
- San Mateo103,105
- Daly City101,964
- San Leandro87,826
- San Ramon85,993
- Livermore85,522
- Redwood City82,447
- Alameda77,238
- Pleasanton76,960
- Pittsburg76,257
- Dublin70,803
- Walnut Creek70,088
- Union City67,464
- Brentwood65,208
- Castro Valley65,001
- South San Francisco64,305
- San Rafael60,433
Other metro and micro areas in California
Areas based in California, best score first.
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA56
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA27
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA73
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA65
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA87
- Fresno, CA17
- Bakersfield-Delano, CA5
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA77
- Stockton-Lodi, CA28
- Modesto, CA27
- Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA93
- Visalia, CA11
- Vallejo, CA61
- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA76
- Salinas, CA61
- Merced, CA4
- San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA85
- Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA89
- Chico, CA44
- Yuba City, CA21
- Redding, CA48
- El Centro, CA12
- Hanford-Corcoran, CA10
- Napa, CA87
Neighboring metro and micro areas
Places that share a border, best score first.
Similar metro and micro areas
Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA87Alike on Exercise access, Obesity, Homeownership
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA73Alike on Comfortable days, Broadband, Exercise access
- Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA89Alike on Exercise access, Home value (Zillow), Life expectancy
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA77Alike on Exercise access, Broadband, Price level
- Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA93Alike on Broadband, July high, Comfortable days
Data and sources
Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.
- Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
- PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
- Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
- Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
- Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
- Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
- Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
- U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-10-06
- Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
- nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
- Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
- Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
- Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
- American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
- Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
- Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
- 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
- Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
- Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
- Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
- County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
- Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08