San Francisco, California
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching San Francisco.
Key figures
Each metric shows how San Francisco compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 836,321City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $141,446Incorporated place (ACS)80% above U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 317ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)217% above U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $1,380,500City limits (ACS)355% above U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $2,419City limits (ACS)79% above U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 3.3%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 34 min36% above U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 8998% above U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 669.6annualized per 100k · citywide11% above U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 5505.6annualized per 100k · citywide78% above U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 67°F20.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 47°F13.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 22.9 in30% below U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 29411% above U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare San Francisco with another city
About 836,321 people live in San Francisco, CA. Households here report a median income near $141,446; our housing-derived cost index is about 317 (well above the national housing-cost baseline). Ownership is a high bar — typical values near $1,380,500 push many newcomers toward renting first.
Pacific weather, wildfire seasons, and housing scarcity dominate relocation tradeoffs. Roughly 294 sunny days a year give outdoor routines unusual calendar reliability. Commutes average near 34 minutes one-way, with walkability near 89/100. BLS LAUS puts recent unemployment around 3.3% for the surrounding county. Violent-offense rates near 669.6 per 100k sit in a mid-to-elevated band versus many peer cities in this catalog.
If you only tour one corridor, make it Mission; if you have a weekend, contrast it with Marina and the quieter edges near SOMA. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare San Francisco with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Neighborhoods often researched
- Mission
- Marina
- SOMA
- Noe Valley
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (San Francisco city, 1600000US0667000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN060750000000003 (San Francisco County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00023272 SAN FRANCISCO DWTN)
Last updated 2026-07-28