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METRO AREA · 1990 CENSUS

San Francisco Metro

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA · 5 counties · 3,686,592 residents · 2,470 sq mi
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The short version

With 3,686,592 people, San Francisco is a metro area. Median home value sits at $265,602. 32% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Median rent is $680 a month. Owners hold 54% of the housing stock. Median household income runs $40,631, well clear of the $30,130 US median.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $30,130
Mid-age
median age 34.5
US median: 33.0
More educated
32% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 20%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $93,722
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
3,686,592
−11%vs 2000
vs 4,123,740 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
1,493 / sq mi
−11%vs 2000
vs 1,670 / sq mi in 2000
Median age
34.5
−5%vs 2000
vs 36.1 in 2000
US average: 33.0
Land area
2,470 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
3.6M3.9M4.2M4.5M4.9M19902000201020202024San Francisco
20244.6M
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 1990
Under 56.7%(248,524)
US avg: 7.3%
5 to 96.2%(230,328)
US avg: 7.3%
10 to 145.6%(206,403)
US avg: 6.9%
15 to 195.7%(210,660)
US avg: 7.1%
20 to 247.2%(265,296)
US avg: 7.5%
25 to 3419.6%(721,140)
US avg: 17.5%
35 to 4417.6%(649,215)
US avg: 15.1%
45 to 5411.3%(417,149)
US avg: 10.2%
55 to 648.2%(301,341)
US avg: 8.5%
65 to 746.9%(256,050)
US avg: 7.3%
75 to 843.7%(137,784)
US avg: 4%
85 and over1.2%(42,702)
US avg: 1.2%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$40,631
−12%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $61,059 in 2000
US average: $30,130
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$20,203
−36%vs 2000
vs $31,771 in 2000
US average: $14,340
Poverty rate
9.2%
+0.1 ptsvs 2000
vs 9.1% in 2000
US average: 13.2%
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$265,602
+1%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $346,943 in 2000
US average: $93,722
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$680
−5%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $946 in 2000
US average: $450
Owner-occupied
54.5%
−1.5 ptsvs 2000
vs 56.0% in 2000
45.5% rent
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic49.1%(2,026,022)
Black9.4%(387,490)
Hispanic / Latino17.8%(733,249)
Asian19%(784,918)
Other0%
1990
White, non-Hispanic66.1%(2,435,097)
Black11.5%(425,141)
Hispanic / Latino13.4%(493,017)
Asian16.3%(599,635)
Other6.1%(226,719)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Detailed origin tables are available for 2024; showing 2024 data.

Hispanic origin
Mexican14.4%(671,068)
Central American4.7%(218,376)
Salvadoran2.1%(95,503)
South American1.5%(67,874)
Guatemalan1.4%(67,196)
Nicaraguan0.7%(33,920)
Puerto Rican0.7%(31,112)
Peruvian0.6%(26,424)
Spaniard0.5%(23,182)
Colombian0.3%(15,363)
Honduran0.3%(13,971)
Cuban0.2%(9,063)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Argentine0.1%(6,085)
Venezuelan0.1%(5,418)
Chilean0.1%(5,355)
Ecuadorian0.1%(4,415)
Costa Rican0.1%(3,637)
Panamanian0.1%(3,483)
Dominican0.1%(2,856)
Bolivian0%(2,266)
Uruguayan0%(1,532)
Paraguayan0%(340)
Asian origin
Chinese10.7%(496,840)
Asian Indian5.4%(250,359)
Filipino5.3%(247,791)
Vietnamese1.3%(62,081)
Korean1.1%(50,429)
Japanese0.8%(36,977)
Taiwanese0.5%(20,932)
Pakistani0.3%(14,805)
Kazakh0.3%(11,605)
Cambodian0.2%(8,290)
Burmese0.2%(7,780)
Nepalese0.2%(7,550)
+ 13 more asian origin groups with data
Thai0.2%(7,195)
Laotian0.1%(5,061)
Indonesian0.1%(4,344)
Mongolian0.1%(3,520)
Mien0.1%(2,616)
Sri Lankan0%(2,272)
Hmong0%(2,067)
Bangladeshi0%(1,477)
Malaysian0%(964)
Uzbek0%(383)
Bhutanese0%(123)
Okinawan0%(92)
Pacific Islander origin
Native Hawaiian0.3%(13,316)
Fijian0.2%(11,258)
Samoan0.2%(10,872)
Tongan0.2%(8,575)
Chamorro0.1%(5,313)
Guamanian0%(672)
Ancestry
German7%(327,079)
Irish6.9%(321,035)
English6.9%(318,658)
Italian4.2%(195,749)
American2.1%(99,086)
French1.6%(76,216)
Polish1.4%(64,592)
Scottish1.4%(63,411)
Russian1.1%(52,782)
Subsaharan African1.1%(49,222)
Portuguese1.1%(49,017)
Arab1%(48,513)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Swedish0.9%(42,487)
Norwegian0.9%(39,648)
Dutch0.6%(29,679)
Iranian0.6%(28,056)
British0.5%(25,047)
Ukrainian0.5%(23,676)
Scotch-Irish0.5%(23,263)
Greek0.5%(21,433)
Danish0.4%(19,702)
Welsh0.4%(17,617)
Hungarian0.3%(13,633)
Swiss0.3%(13,600)
Brazilian0.3%(12,275)
Nigerian0.2%(11,267)
West Indian0.2%(10,806)
Czech0.2%(10,780)
Austrian0.2%(10,405)
French Canadian0.2%(9,513)
Ethiopian0.2%(9,506)
Armenian0.2%(8,756)
Lithuanian0.2%(8,665)
Lebanese0.2%(8,105)
Romanian0.2%(8,038)
Canadian0.2%(7,275)
Croatian0.2%(7,193)
Finnish0.2%(7,046)
Turkish0.1%(6,557)
Egyptian0.1%(6,442)
Jamaican0.1%(5,370)
Belgian0.1%(4,743)
Palestinian0.1%(4,428)
Slovak0.1%(3,735)
Australian0.1%(3,638)
Israeli0.1%(3,291)
Bulgarian0.1%(2,745)
Serbian0.1%(2,693)
Syrian0.1%(2,549)
Moroccan0%(2,154)
Haitian0%(2,128)
Jordanian0%(2,030)
Slovene0%(1,971)
Iraqi0%(1,772)
Ghanaian0%(1,771)
Kenyan0%(1,764)
Latvian0%(1,753)
Guyanese0%(480)
Macedonian0%(457)
Barbadian0%(161)
Somali0%(32)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
32.0%
−6.5 ptsvs 2000
vs 38.5% in 2000
US average: 20.3%
High school or higher
83.0%
−1.2 ptsvs 2000
vs 84.2% in 2000
US average: 75.2%
Graduate degree
11.7%
−2.7 ptsvs 2000
vs 14.4% in 2000
US average: 7.1%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
26.2 min
+15%vs 2000
vs 22.9 min in 2000
US average: 21.9
Section 07

Work & employment

No data for the years selected.

Section 08

People & community

No data for the years selected.

Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married39.8%(771,816)
Married51.5%(999,844)
Widowed2.1%(39,967)
Divorced6.6%(128,810)
Women 15+
Never married34.1%(673,501)
Married48.9%(964,373)
Widowed7.2%(142,037)
Divorced9.8%(193,652)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured
4.0%
−7.6 ptssince 2013
from 11.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
64.1%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 64.2% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
13.8%
−0.5 ptssince 2020
from 14.3% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
17.1%
+1.3 ptssince 2020
from 15.8% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
18.7%
+1.1 ptssince 2020
from 17.6% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.0%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 1.1% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
75.1%
−1.0 ptssince 2020
from 76.0% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
32.2%
+1.8 ptssince 2020
from 30.4% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)21.2%(25,694)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)17%(20,576)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era34.9%(42,287)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War6.9%(8,332)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.5%(1,761)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 121,131 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
In this metro

Largest cities

San FranciscoCENTRAL826,079OaklandCENTRAL440,838FremontCENTRAL226,442Hayward157,113Concord123,261BerkeleyCENTRAL121,911Antioch118,958Richmond114,861San MateoCENTRAL103,337Daly City101,261San RamonCENTRAL86,209San Leandro85,353LivermoreCENTRAL83,457Redwood CityCENTRAL82,178Pittsburg77,542Alameda76,876PleasantonCENTRAL74,556Dublin71,602Walnut CreekCENTRAL70,012Brentwood66,607Union City65,282Castro Valley65,001South San FranciscoCENTRAL64,941San RafaelCENTRAL59,410Novato51,947Newark47,895Oakley47,583Danville43,302San Bruno42,305Pacifica36,890

The 30 most populous of 138 cities and towns in this metro. CENTRAL marks the metro's principal cities.

What's inside

5 component counties

Alameda CountyCENTRAL1,636,630Contra Costa County1,170,070San Francisco CountyCENTRAL826,079San Mateo CountyCENTRAL743,568Marin CountyCENTRAL253,694
Drill deeper

Metros similar to San Francisco

Boston
Pop 5,034,221
Seattle
Pop 4,161,883
Washington
Pop 6,465,724
Riverside
Pop 4,769,007
Places similar to San Francisco
Head to head

Compare San Francisco side by side

SAN FRANCISCO VS
Boston
Income$116,759+187%
Home value$656,837+147%
Population5,034,221+9%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SAN FRANCISCO VS
Seattle
Income$116,172+186%
Home value$749,490+182%
Population4,161,883−10%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SAN FRANCISCO VS
Washington
Income$130,074+220%
Home value$613,108+131%
Population6,465,724+40%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SAN FRANCISCO VS
Riverside
Income$89,505+120%
Home value$532,724+101%
Population4,769,007+3%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA has about 3,686,592 residents according to the 1990 Census.

What is the median household income in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?

The typical household in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA earns about $40,631 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA expensive?

In San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, the median home is worth about $265,602, and the typical rent is about $680 a month.

How educated are people in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?

About 32.0% of adults age 25 and over in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?

About 9.2% of people in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA live below the federal poverty line.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA (1990): population, income & housing data · CensusEasy