San Francisco, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
San Francisco, CA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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A+
Health Top grade
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A
Income Above average
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A+
Education Top grade
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | San Francisco | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 829,469 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 3576.9 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.21% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.0 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 363,693 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in San Francisco grew by 2.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 829,469 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in San Francisco is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 30.1% of residents. That is 6.5 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 155,954 18.8% -2.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 250,029 30.1% +6.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 170,167 20.5% +0.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 132,564 16.0% +0.7 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below California, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 48.7% of the people living in San Francisco and men 51.3%.
- Women 48.7% California 49.9%
- Men 51.3% California 50.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in San Francisco
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
San Francisco has a the economy index of A, which means it is very prosperous.
| Metric | San Francisco | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $140,580 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.97% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.1% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in San Francisco is about 42% higher than in California.
Housing
| Metric | San Francisco | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $1,276,122 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $2,475 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 38.2% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in San Francisco is about 43.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $2,475 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in San Francisco spend about 57 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 239 hours, about 10.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | San Francisco | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 28.7 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 57.4 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 239 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,417 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 31.0% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 28,914 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,557 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in San Francisco is 29 minutes, longer than the 23 minutes in California.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
San Francisco has a education index of A+, which means it is exceptionally educated.
| Metric | San Francisco | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 58.2% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.21 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Health
San Francisco has a health index of A+, which means it is exceptionally healthy.
| Metric | San Francisco | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 81.9 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 11.0% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 9.4% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about San Francisco, California.
What is the population of San Francisco, California?
About 829,469 people live in San Francisco, California, in 363,693 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 40.0, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
Is San Francisco, California urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, San Francisco, California has 3,577 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 41 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in San Francisco, California?
The median home costs 9.1 times the median household income ($1,276,122 against $140,580), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $2,475 a month takes about 21% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in San Francisco, California?
58.2% of adults in San Francisco, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 6 in 10), well above the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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