Population

Houston

2,300,419

San Francisco

836,321

Median Income

Houston

$62,894

San Francisco

$141,446

Home Value

Houston

$253,400

San Francisco

$1,380,500

Rent

Houston

$1,313

San Francisco

$2,419

Crime Rate

Houston

11.48

San Francisco

5.96

Cost of Living

Houston

116.4

San Francisco

252.5

Avg Temp

Houston

70°F

San Francisco

56°F

Unemployment

Houston

6.7%

San Francisco

5.6%

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How Similar Are Houston & San Francisco?

San Francisco is Houston's #21 most similar city

1/10

1 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Houston

2,300,419

vs

San Francisco

836,321

Different · 64% difference

Houston (2,300,419) is about 2.8x larger than San Francisco (836,321).

Violent Crime

Houston

11.48

vs

San Francisco

5.96

Different · 48% difference
🚨

Houston has a 48% higher violent crime than San Francisco.

Property Crime

🔒

Houston

42.93

vs

San Francisco

39.29

Match · 8% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 8% difference.

Political Leaning

Houston

46.4%

vs

San Francisco

15.5%

Different · 67% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic, but Houston has a stronger Democratic lean (67% difference).

Unemployment

💼

Houston

6.7%

vs

San Francisco

5.6%

Different · 16% difference

Houston has a 16% higher unemployment than San Francisco.

Median Income

Houston

$62,894

vs

San Francisco

$141,446

Different · 56% difference
💰

San Francisco's median income is significantly higher than Houston's — 56% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Houston

$253,400

vs

San Francisco

$1,380,500

Different · 82% difference

San Francisco's home values is significantly higher than Houston's — 82% difference.

Education

Houston

23.9%

vs

San Francisco

48.1%

Different · 50% difference
🎓

San Francisco has a 50% higher education than Houston.

Demographics

🌍

Houston

35.5%

vs

San Francisco

40.5%

Different · 12% difference

San Francisco has a 12% higher demographics than Houston.

Cost of Living

Houston

116.4

vs

San Francisco

252.5

Different · 54% difference
💵

San Francisco's cost of living is significantly higher than Houston's — 54% difference.

1 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Houston and San Francisco differ in most key areas.

At a Glance

0

Houston

vsof 8

0

San Francisco

San Francisco leads in 5 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Houston leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Houston scores 145.9 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 400.0 in San Francisco. Houston has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,573 vs $3,604 in San Francisco (56% lower). Houston has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,323 vs $2,977 in San Francisco (56% lower).

Overall Cost Index

Houston116.4
San Francisco252.5

Housing Index

Houston145.9
San Francisco400.0

Food Index

Houston98.1
San Francisco158.1

Transportation Index

Houston103.6
San Francisco147.8

Healthcare Index

Houston98.5
San Francisco146.5

Utilities Index

Houston108.0
San Francisco194.9

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Houston$51,208
San Francisco$111,083

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Houston$121,037
San Francisco$262,560

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Houston$1,323
San Francisco$2,977

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Houston$1,573
San Francisco$3,604

Housing Market — Houston leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

San Francisco has a median home value of $1,380,500 vs $253,400 in Houston (82% higher). Houston has a median property tax of $4,003 vs $9,412 in San Francisco (57% lower). Houston has a single-family homes of 47.9% compared to 30.5% in San Francisco.

Median Home Value

Houston$253,400
San Francisco$1,380,500

Median Rent

Houston$1,313
San Francisco$2,419

Median Property Tax

Houston$4,003
San Francisco$9,412

Owner-Occupied

Houston42.0%
San Francisco38.5%

Vacancy Rate

Houston10.4%
San Francisco11.9%

Single-Family Homes

Houston47.9%
San Francisco30.5%

Jobs & Economy — San Francisco leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Houston: 1,219,957 vs San Francisco: 514,336 for labor force. San Francisco has a poverty rate of 10.6% compared to 19.7% in Houston. San Francisco has a work from home of 27.5% compared to 11.7% in Houston.

Median Household Income

Houston$62,894
San Francisco$141,446

Per Capita Income

Houston$41,142
San Francisco$90,285

Poverty Rate

Houston19.7%
San Francisco10.6%

Unemployment Rate

Houston6.7%
San Francisco5.6%

Labor Force

Houston1,219,957
San Francisco514,336

Mean Commute

Houston24 min
San Francisco23 min

Work from Home

Houston11.7%
San Francisco27.5%

Private Sector

Houston98.8%
San Francisco94.2%

Government Sector

Houston46.6%
San Francisco44.2%

Crime & Safety — San Francisco leads

Source: FBI UCR

San Francisco has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.04 compared to 0.14 in Houston. San Francisco has a assault rate (per 1k) of 2.90 compared to 7.87 in Houston. San Francisco has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 5.96 compared to 11.48 in Houston.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Houston11.48
San Francisco5.96

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Houston42.93
San Francisco39.29

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Houston0.14
San Francisco0.04

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Houston2.74
San Francisco2.67

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Houston7.87
San Francisco2.90

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Houston6.45
San Francisco6.37

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Houston29.46
San Francisco26.19

Violent Crime Clearance

Houston31.9%
San Francisco32.0%

Property Crime Clearance

Houston4.8%
San Francisco8.8%

Weather & Climate — Houston leads

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

San Francisco: 19.3" vs Houston: 50.4" for annual rainfall. San Francisco gets 107 more sunny days per year than Houston. Houston averages 62°F, about 12°F warmer than San Francisco.

Avg Annual Temperature

Houston70°F
San Francisco56°F

Avg Annual High

Houston78°F
San Francisco64°F

Avg Annual Low

Houston62°F
San Francisco50°F

Sunny Days per Year

Houston182
San Francisco289

Annual Rainfall

Houston50.4"
San Francisco19.3"

Annual Snowfall

HoustonN/A
San FranciscoN/A

Avg Humidity

Houston74.8%
San Francisco77.3%

Schools & Education — San Francisco leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

San Francisco has a bachelor's degree or higher of 48.1% compared to 23.9% in Houston. San Francisco has a high school diploma or higher of 57.2% compared to 38.3% in Houston.

Public Schools

Houston0
San Francisco0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

HoustonN/A
San FranciscoN/A

Colleges & Universities

Houston0
San Francisco0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Houston23.9%
San Francisco48.1%

High School Diploma or Higher

Houston38.3%
San Francisco57.2%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Houston has a population of 2,300,419, about 2.8x the size of San Francisco (836,321). Houston skews younger with a median age of 34.3 vs 39.7.

Population

Houston2,300,419
San Francisco836,321

Median Age

Houston34
San Francisco40

Avg Household Size

Houston2.5
San Francisco2.2

Married Population

Houston34.8%
San Francisco37.2%

Foreign Born

Houston28.8%
San Francisco34.2%

White

Houston35.5%
San Francisco40.5%

Black

Houston22.9%
San Francisco5.1%

Hispanic

Houston44.1%
San Francisco15.9%

Asian

Houston6.9%
San Francisco35.0%

Houston

San Francisco

Healthcare — San Francisco leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

San Francisco: 3.2 vs Houston: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Houston5
San Francisco5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Houston3.0
San Francisco3.2

With Emergency Services

Houston4
San Francisco4

Transportation & Commute — San Francisco leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Houston has a drive alone of 69.7% compared to 28.6% in San Francisco. San Francisco has a bicycle of 3.3% compared to 0.4% in Houston. San Francisco has a public transit of 21.4% compared to 3.3% in Houston.

Mean Commute Time

Houston24 min
San Francisco23 min

Drive Alone

Houston69.7%
San Francisco28.6%

Public Transit

Houston3.3%
San Francisco21.4%

Bicycle

Houston0.4%
San Francisco3.3%

Work from Home

Houston11.7%
San Francisco27.5%

Airports

Houston0
San Francisco0

Cities Similar to Houston, TX

Compare Houston against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.

🧬

City Comparison

8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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