Population

San Francisco

836,321

Seattle

741,440

Median Income

San Francisco

$141,446

Seattle

$121,984

Home Value

San Francisco

$1,380,500

Seattle

$912,100

Rent

San Francisco

$2,419

Seattle

$1,998

Crime Rate

San Francisco

5.96

Seattle

7.75

Cost of Living

San Francisco

252.5

Seattle

208.3

Avg Temp

San Francisco

56°F

Seattle

51°F

Unemployment

San Francisco

5.6%

Seattle

4.2%

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How Similar Are San Francisco & Seattle?

Seattle is San Francisco's #13 most similar city

1/10

1 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

San Francisco

836,321

vs

Seattle

741,440

Different · 11% difference

San Francisco has a 11% larger population than Seattle.

Violent Crime

San Francisco

5.96

vs

Seattle

7.75

Different · 23% difference
🚨

Seattle has a 23% higher violent crime than San Francisco.

Property Crime

🔒

San Francisco

39.29

vs

Seattle

50.08

Different · 22% difference

Seattle has a 22% higher property crime than San Francisco.

Political Leaning

San Francisco

15.5%

vs

Seattle

22.5%

Different · 31% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic, but Seattle has a stronger Democratic lean (31% difference).

Unemployment

💼

San Francisco

5.6%

vs

Seattle

4.2%

Different · 25% difference

San Francisco has a 25% higher unemployment than Seattle.

Median Income

San Francisco

$141,446

vs

Seattle

$121,984

Different · 14% difference
💰

San Francisco has a 14% higher median income than Seattle.

Home Values

🏠

San Francisco

$1,380,500

vs

Seattle

$912,100

Different · 34% difference

San Francisco has a 34% higher home values than Seattle.

Education

San Francisco

48.1%

vs

Seattle

51.2%

Match · 6% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 6% difference.

Demographics

🌍

San Francisco

40.5%

vs

Seattle

61.8%

Different · 35% difference

Seattle has a 35% higher demographics than San Francisco.

Cost of Living

San Francisco

252.5

vs

Seattle

208.3

Different · 18% difference
💵

San Francisco has a 18% higher cost of living than Seattle.

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

At a Glance

0

San Francisco

vsof 8

0

Seattle

Seattle leads in 6 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Seattle leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Seattle has a fair market rent (2br) of $2,501 vs $3,604 in San Francisco (44% lower). Seattle has a fair market rent (1br) of $2,146 vs $2,977 in San Francisco (39% lower). Seattle scores 314.0 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 400.0 in San Francisco.

Overall Cost Index

San Francisco252.5
Seattle208.3

Housing Index

San Francisco400.0
Seattle314.0

Food Index

San Francisco158.1
Seattle143.2

Transportation Index

San Francisco147.8
Seattle124.0

Healthcare Index

San Francisco146.5
Seattle134.6

Utilities Index

San Francisco194.9
Seattle168.7

Living Wage (1 Adult)

San Francisco$111,083
Seattle$91,644

Living Wage (Family of 4)

San Francisco$262,560
Seattle$216,614

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

San Francisco$2,977
Seattle$2,146

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

San Francisco$3,604
Seattle$2,501

Housing Market — Seattle leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Seattle has a vacancy rate of 7.8% compared to 11.9% in San Francisco. San Francisco has a median home value of $1,380,500 vs $912,100 in Seattle (51% higher). Seattle has a median property tax of $7,025 vs $9,412 in San Francisco (34% lower).

Median Home Value

San Francisco$1,380,500
Seattle$912,100

Median Rent

San Francisco$2,419
Seattle$1,998

Median Property Tax

San Francisco$9,412
Seattle$7,025

Owner-Occupied

San Francisco38.5%
Seattle44.3%

Vacancy Rate

San Francisco11.9%
Seattle7.8%

Single-Family Homes

San Francisco30.5%
Seattle43.8%

Jobs & Economy — Seattle leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Seattle has a unemployment rate of 4.2% compared to 5.6% in San Francisco. Seattle: 18 min vs San Francisco: 23 min for mean commute. San Francisco has a median household income of $141,446 vs $121,984 in Seattle (16% higher).

Median Household Income

San Francisco$141,446
Seattle$121,984

Per Capita Income

San Francisco$90,285
Seattle$82,508

Poverty Rate

San Francisco10.6%
Seattle9.9%

Unemployment Rate

San Francisco5.6%
Seattle4.2%

Labor Force

San Francisco514,336
Seattle480,209

Mean Commute

San Francisco23 min
Seattle18 min

Work from Home

San Francisco27.5%
Seattle31.3%

Private Sector

San Francisco94.2%
Seattle94.6%

Government Sector

San Francisco44.2%
Seattle45.3%

Crime & Safety — San Francisco leads

Source: FBI UCR

San Francisco has a property crime clearance of 8.8% compared to 3.7% in Seattle. San Francisco has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 6.37 compared to 11.52 in Seattle. San Francisco has a assault rate (per 1k) of 2.90 compared to 5.01 in Seattle.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

San Francisco5.96
Seattle7.75

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

San Francisco39.29
Seattle50.08

Murder Rate (per 1K)

San Francisco0.04
Seattle0.07

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

San Francisco2.67
Seattle2.21

Assault Rate (per 1K)

San Francisco2.90
Seattle5.01

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

San Francisco6.37
Seattle11.52

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

San Francisco26.19
Seattle28.82

Violent Crime Clearance

San Francisco32.0%
Seattle31.9%

Property Crime Clearance

San Francisco8.8%
Seattle3.7%

Weather & Climate — San Francisco leads

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

San Francisco gets 123 more sunny days per year than Seattle. San Francisco: 19.3" vs Seattle: 49.9" for annual rainfall. San Francisco averages 50°F, about 6°F warmer than Seattle.

Avg Annual Temperature

San Francisco56°F
Seattle51°F

Avg Annual High

San Francisco64°F
Seattle59°F

Avg Annual Low

San Francisco50°F
Seattle45°F

Sunny Days per Year

San Francisco289
Seattle166

Annual Rainfall

San Francisco19.3"
Seattle49.9"

Annual Snowfall

San FranciscoN/A
Seattle3.2"

Avg Humidity

San Francisco77.3%
Seattle77.9%

Schools & Education — Seattle leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Seattle has a bachelor's degree or higher of 51.2% compared to 48.1% in San Francisco. Seattle has a high school diploma or higher of 58.5% compared to 57.2% in San Francisco.

Public Schools

San Francisco0
Seattle0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

San FranciscoN/A
SeattleN/A

Colleges & Universities

San Francisco0
Seattle0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

San Francisco48.1%
Seattle51.2%

High School Diploma or Higher

San Francisco57.2%
Seattle58.5%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

San Francisco has a population of 836,321, about 1.1x the size of Seattle (741,440). Seattle skews younger with a median age of 35.5 vs 39.7.

Population

San Francisco836,321
Seattle741,440

Median Age

San Francisco40
Seattle36

Avg Household Size

San Francisco2.2
Seattle2.0

Married Population

San Francisco37.2%
Seattle36.5%

Foreign Born

San Francisco34.2%
Seattle19.9%

White

San Francisco40.5%
Seattle61.8%

Black

San Francisco5.1%
Seattle6.6%

Hispanic

San Francisco15.9%
Seattle8.2%

Asian

San Francisco35.0%
Seattle17.2%

San Francisco

Seattle

Healthcare — Seattle leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Seattle: 5 vs San Francisco: 4 for with emergency services. Seattle: 3.5 vs San Francisco: 3.2 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

San Francisco5
Seattle5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

San Francisco3.2
Seattle3.5

With Emergency Services

San Francisco4
Seattle5

Transportation & Commute — Seattle leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

San Francisco has a public transit of 21.4% compared to 13.9% in Seattle. San Francisco has a bicycle of 3.3% compared to 2.5% in Seattle. Seattle: 18 min vs San Francisco: 23 min for mean commute time.

Mean Commute Time

San Francisco23 min
Seattle18 min

Drive Alone

San Francisco28.6%
Seattle37.6%

Public Transit

San Francisco21.4%
Seattle13.9%

Bicycle

San Francisco3.3%
Seattle2.5%

Work from Home

San Francisco27.5%
Seattle31.3%

Airports

San Francisco0
Seattle0

Cities Similar to San Francisco, CA

Compare San Francisco 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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