San Francisco’s neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You’ve got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.
It seems as if there’s a neighborhood for everyone in San Francisco.
And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in California thanks in part to tons of entertainment and jobs, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine in San Francisco. Some neighborhoods aren’t as safe as others.
So the question arises, which San Francisco neighborhoods are the most dangerous and which are the safest?
Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which San Francisco hoods need a little tender loving care – the sore thumbs of the San Francisco area if you will. Realistically, you can’t expect all the neighborhoods to be amazing, although Presidio Heights ranks way above the rest.
We examined 34 of San Francisco’s neighborhoods to find out the most dangerous places to live. These places don’t quite measure up to San Francisco’s reputation.
Table Of Contents: Top 10 | Methodology | Summary | Table
So what’s the worst neighborhood to live in San Francisco for 2024? According to the most recent census data, Bayview looks to be the worst neighborhood in San Francisco.
Read on to see how we determined the places around San Francisco that need a pick-me-up. And remember, don’t blame the messenger.
For more California reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In California
- Cheapest Places To Live In California
- Most Dangerous Cities In California
The 10 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods In San Francisco For 2024
/10
Population: 22,475
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,184
Property Crime Per 100k: 4,493
Median Home Value: $809,839 (2nd worst)
Median Income: $90,666 (8th worst)
More on Bayview: Data
/10
Population: 21,563
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 521
Property Crime Per 100k: 1,698
Median Home Value: $835,962 (3rd worst)
Median Income: $74,577 (3rd worst)
More on Visitacion Valley: Data
/10
Population: 19,497
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,906
Property Crime Per 100k: 12,813
Median Home Value: $1,135,756 (13th worst)
Median Income: $76,499 (4th worst)
More on Downtown: Data
/10
Population: 6,775
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 474
Property Crime Per 100k: 3,831
Median Home Value: $1,309,850 (18th worst)
Median Income: $49,026 (2nd worst)
More on North Beach: Data
/10
Population: 30,618
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 221
Property Crime Per 100k: 1,222
Median Home Value: $678,568 (worst)
Median Income: $78,895 (6th worst)
More on Ocean View: Data
/10
Population: 21,884
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 748
Property Crime Per 100k: 5,977
Median Home Value: $1,067,308 (11th worst)
Median Income: $127,427 (17th worst)
More on Castro-Upper Market: Data
/10
Population: 4,596
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 311
Property Crime Per 100k: 3,361
Median Home Value: $1,341,175 (20th worst)
Median Income: $102,761 (10th worst)
More on Lakeshore: Data
/10
Population: 3,915
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 434
Property Crime Per 100k: 3,507
Median Home Value: $1,564,881 (29th worst)
Median Income: $104,669 (12th worst)
More on Financial District: Data
/10
Population: 11,227
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 480
Property Crime Per 100k: 6,240
Median Home Value: $900,512 (5th worst)
Median Income: $77,757 (5th worst)
More on Western Addition: Data
/10
Population: 25,088
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 355
Property Crime Per 100k: 1,713
Median Home Value: $900,731 (6th worst)
Median Income: $86,292 (7th worst)
More on Excelsior: Data
Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous San Francisco neighborhoods in 2024
To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We plugged the following criteria into Saturday Night Science to get the worst neighborhoods in San Francisco:
- High crime (Estimated)
- High unemployment (Less jobs)
- Low median income (Less pay)
- Low population density (No things to do)
- Low home values (No one’s willing to pay to live here)
Then, we ranked each neighborhood in San Francisco, California for each of these criteria from worst to best.
Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criterion into a “Worst Score.”
The neighborhood with the lowest “Worst Score” ranks as the most dangerous neighborhood of San Francisco.
The article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2024. This report is our time ranking the worst neighborhoods to live in San Francisco.
Skip to the end to see the list of all 34 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
Summary: The Worst Neighborhoods Around San Francisco
Well, there you have it — the worst of the neighborhoods in San Francisco with Bayview landing at the bottom of the pack.
The worst neighborhoods in San Francisco are Bayview, Visitacion Valley, Downtown, North Beach, Ocean View, Castro-Upper Market, Lakeshore, Financial District, Western Addition, and Excelsior.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in San Francisco aren’t all bad. Presidio Heights takes the cake as the best place to live in San Francisco.
The best neighborhoods in San Francisco are Presidio Heights, Pacific Heights, Noe Valley, Russian Hill, and Inner Richmond.
We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below.
For more California reading, check out:
Most Dangerous Neighborhoods To Live In San Francisco For 2024?
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bayview | 22,475 | $809,839 | $90,666 |
| 2 | Visitacion Valley | 21,563 | $835,962 | $74,577 |
| 3 | Downtown | 19,497 | $1,135,756 | $76,499 |
| 4 | North Beach | 6,775 | $1,309,850 | $49,026 |
| 5 | Ocean View | 30,618 | $678,568 | $78,895 |
| 6 | Castro-Upper Market | 21,884 | $1,067,308 | $127,427 |
| 7 | Lakeshore | 4,596 | $1,341,175 | $102,761 |
| 8 | Financial District | 3,915 | $1,564,881 | $104,669 |
| 9 | Western Addition | 11,227 | $900,512 | $77,757 |
| 10 | Excelsior | 25,088 | $900,731 | $86,292 |
| 11 | Parkside | 18,914 | $1,182,169 | $116,184 |
| 12 | Outer Mission | 11,675 | $888,962 | $103,917 |
| 13 | Potrero Hill | 11,617 | $1,225,156 | $180,007 |
| 14 | Mission | 59,096 | $1,264,405 | $142,907 |
| 15 | Crocker Amazon | 13,076 | $933,325 | $92,029 |
| 16 | South Of Market | 28,489 | $1,032,286 | $131,546 |
| 17 | West Of Twin Peaks | 21,375 | $1,095,080 | $153,714 |
| 18 | Outer Sunset | 18,347 | $1,023,558 | $121,072 |
| 19 | Diamond Heights | 3,183 | $1,040,967 | $151,943 |
| 20 | Seacliff | 1,429 | $1,346,400 | $134,269 |
| 21 | Bernal Heights | 27,627 | $1,230,414 | $143,080 |
| 22 | Twin Peaks | 3,830 | $1,359,633 | $159,190 |
| 23 | Nob Hill | 17,902 | $1,403,934 | $111,424 |
| 24 | Chinatown | 6,383 | $1,439,650 | $37,799 |
| 25 | Glen Park | 9,165 | $1,403,600 | $169,820 |
| 26 | Outer Richmond | 16,587 | $1,382,200 | $111,188 |
| 27 | Marina | 13,099 | $1,635,620 | $174,122 |
| 28 | Haight-Ashbury | 11,856 | $1,324,689 | $143,447 |
| 29 | Inner Sunset | 17,334 | $1,364,986 | $130,238 |
| 30 | Inner Richmond | 19,022 | $1,614,046 | $142,263 |
| 31 | Russian Hill | 14,756 | $1,452,611 | $164,460 |
| 32 | Noe Valley | 16,095 | $1,714,572 | $185,103 |
| 33 | Pacific Heights | 19,649 | $1,749,956 | $172,749 |
| 34 | Presidio Heights | 4,672 | $2,000,001 | $169,878 |