The 10 Best Neighborhoods In San Francisco, CA For 2024


The best San Francisco neighborhoods are Presidio Heights and Pacific Heights for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Best Neighborhoods In San Francisco
Source: Wikipedia User Bernard Gagnon | GFDL

San Francisco, you weren’t able to clinch Super Bowl LIV, but you definitely win at having some of the best places to live in America. And, since HomeSnacks is our name and ranking places is OUR game, we know where those places are located, and we’ve conveniently listed the best neighborhoods in San Francisco for 2024 below.

If you’ve been to San Francisco, you know that this city is a cultural explosion of great food, cutting edge entertainment, and a mix of classic and progressive architecture–the views of the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge aren’t so bad, either. We’re also pretty sure that if you’ve experienced even half of what the Bay City has to offer, you’ve thought about moving to this Northern California gem. Then, you looked at San Francisco’s price tag; and quite frankly, this city is not meant for the people who are barely scraping by–it’s meant for people who make at least $123,850/year. Heck, there’s a reason a place this great hasn’t broken a million residents and that reason is San Francisco’s high cost of living.

But, you’re an optimist, so you get yourself a good job and you’re going to live in San Francisco no matter the cost. So, whether you’re looking to buy your forever home in San Fran or rent, take a look at our list because we’ve taken the guessing out of the equation by using the latest census data to rank San Francisco’s 34 neighborhoods. To get the most accurate list, we looked at things like median income levels and median home prices; because honestly, if you are going to spend far above the national average for your living situation, you should expect the best: the safest communities, the best jobs, and the best amenities. Not surprising, San Francisco’s best neighborhoods have all of this and then some.

So, if you want to know the San Francisco neighborhoods that are on everyone’s wish list, keep reading.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The Best Neighborhoods In San Francisco For 2024

  1. Presidio Heights
  2. Pacific Heights
  3. Noe Valley
  4. Russian Hill
  5. Inner Richmond
  6. Inner Sunset
  7. Haight-Ashbury
  8. Marina
  9. Outer Richmond
  10. Glen Park

If you’re looking for a great neighborhood next to the water, the Marina district has stellar homes and a place to park your yacht. If you’re looking for a neighborhood that has cool corner coffee shops and eclectic record stores Haight Ashbury has been making the magic happen for years. And if you’re looking for a neighborhood that provides a hill workout every time you walk out your front door, the Russian Hill neighborhood is great for the heart.

But, what neighborhood in San Francisco takes the number one best spot for 2024? According to the latest census and our SnackAbility algorithm, that would be Presidio Heights.

To see where the other San Francisco neighborhoods landed on the list, hit that down arrow. And if you don’t find what you’re looking for there, head to the bottom.

For more California reading, check out:

The 10 Best Neighborhoods To Live In San Francisco

Population: 4,672
Median Home Value: $2,000,001 (best)
Median Income: $169,878 (Fifth best)
More on Presidio Heights: Data | Real Estate

Pacific Heights San Francisco, CA

Source: Public domain

Population: 19,649
Median Home Value: $1,749,956 (Second best)
Median Income: $172,749 (Fourth best)
More on Pacific Heights: Data | Real Estate

Noe Valley San Francisco, CA

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY-SA 3.0

Population: 16,095
Median Home Value: $1,714,572 (Third best)
Median Income: $185,103 (best)
More on Noe Valley: Data | Real Estate

Russian Hill San Francisco, CA

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY-SA 4.0

Population: 14,756
Median Home Value: $1,452,611 (Seventh best)
Median Income: $164,460 (Seventh best)
More on Russian Hill: Data | Real Estate

Population: 19,022
Median Home Value: $1,614,046 (Fifth best)
Median Income: $142,263 (14th best)
More on Inner Richmond: Data | Real Estate

Inner Sunset San Francisco, CA

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY-SA 4.0

Population: 17,334
Median Home Value: $1,364,986 (12th best)
Median Income: $130,238 (17th best)
More on Inner Sunset: Data | Real Estate

Population: 11,856
Median Home Value: $1,324,689 (16th best)
Median Income: $143,447 (11th best)
More on Haight-Ashbury: Data | Real Estate

Marina San Francisco, CA

Source: Public domain

Population: 13,099
Median Home Value: $1,635,620 (Fourth best)
Median Income: $174,122 (Third best)
More on Marina: Data | Real Estate

Population: 16,587
Median Home Value: $1,382,200 (11th best)
Median Income: $111,188 (22nd best)
More on Outer Richmond: Data | Real Estate

Population: 9,165
Median Home Value: $1,403,600 (Tenth best)
Median Income: $169,820 (Sixth best)
More on Glen Park: Data | Real Estate

Methodology: How We Determined The Best San Francisco, CA Neighborhoods In 2024

To rank the best neighborhoods in San Francisco, we had to determine what criteria define “best” and then apply Saturday Night Science to it.

Using FBI crime, Census, and extrapolated BLS data, we arrived at the following set of criteria:

  • High incomes
  • Low unemployment rates
  • Low crime
  • High home prices
  • High population densities (A proxy for things to do)

We then ranked each neighborhood with scores from 1 to 34 in each category, where 1 was the best.

Next, we averaged the rankings for each neighborhood to create a best neighborhood index.

And finally, we crowned the neighborhood with the lowest best neighborhood index, the “Best City Neighborhood In San Francisco.” We’re lookin’ at you, Presidio Heights.

Read on below to learn more about what it’s like to live in the best places San Francisco, California has to offer. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the neighborhoods in the city, from best to worst.

We updated this article for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best neighborhoods to live in San Francisco.

Summary: Putting A Bow On Our Analysis Of The Best Neighborhoods In San Francisco

If you’re measuring the neighborhoods in San Francisco where crime is low and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.

The best neighborhoods in San Francisco are Presidio Heights, Pacific Heights, Noe Valley, Russian Hill, Inner Richmond, Inner Sunset, Haight-Ashbury, Marina, Outer Richmond, and Glen Park.

As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in San Francisco aren’t all good. Bayview takes the title of the worst neighborhood to live in San Francisco.

The worst neighborhoods in San Francisco are Bayview, Visitacion Valley, Downtown, North Beach, and Ocean View.

We ranked the neighborhoods from best to worst in the chart below.

For more California reading, check out:

Best Neighborhoods To Live In San Francisco For 2024 Detailed Data

Rank Neighborhood Population Home Value Median Income
1 Presidio Heights 4,672 $2,000,001 $169,878
2 Pacific Heights 19,649 $1,749,956 $172,749
3 Noe Valley 16,095 $1,714,572 $185,103
4 Russian Hill 14,756 $1,452,611 $164,460
5 Inner Richmond 19,022 $1,614,046 $142,263
6 Inner Sunset 17,334 $1,364,986 $130,238
7 Haight-Ashbury 11,856 $1,324,689 $143,447
8 Marina 13,099 $1,635,620 $174,122
9 Outer Richmond 16,587 $1,382,200 $111,188
10 Glen Park 9,165 $1,403,600 $169,820
11 Chinatown 6,383 $1,439,650 $37,799
12 Nob Hill 17,902 $1,403,934 $111,424
13 Twin Peaks 3,830 $1,359,633 $159,190
14 Bernal Heights 27,627 $1,230,414 $143,080
15 Seacliff 1,429 $1,346,400 $134,269
16 Diamond Heights 3,183 $1,040,967 $151,943
17 Outer Sunset 18,347 $1,023,558 $121,072
18 South Of Market 28,489 $1,032,286 $131,546
19 West Of Twin Peaks 21,375 $1,095,080 $153,714
20 Crocker Amazon 13,076 $933,325 $92,029
21 Mission 59,096 $1,264,405 $142,907
22 Potrero Hill 11,617 $1,225,156 $180,007
23 Outer Mission 11,675 $888,962 $103,917
24 Excelsior 25,088 $900,731 $86,292
25 Parkside 18,914 $1,182,169 $116,184
26 Western Addition 11,227 $900,512 $77,757
27 Financial District 3,915 $1,564,881 $104,669
28 Lakeshore 4,596 $1,341,175 $102,761
29 Castro-Upper Market 21,884 $1,067,308 $127,427
30 Ocean View 30,618 $678,568 $78,895
31 North Beach 6,775 $1,309,850 $49,026
32 Downtown 19,497 $1,135,756 $76,499
33 Visitacion Valley 21,563 $835,962 $74,577
34 Bayview 22,475 $809,839 $90,666
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.