What percentage of people rent in San Francisco, CA?

Name: Renters and owners in San Francisco, CA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

61.8% (±0.6 points) of the occupied homes in San Francisco, CA are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 224,913 renting households against 139,057 that own their home.

In San Francisco, the share of households that rent went from 62.4% in 2015–2019 to 61.8% in 2020–2024 (−0.6 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 61.8% (±0.6 points)
Renting households: 224,913 (±2,332)
Median renter income: $112,757 (±$4,185)

Who rents and who owns in San Francisco

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	San Francisco	San Francisco County	California	United States
Renter-occupied share	61.8% (±0.6 points)	61.8% (±0.6 points)	44.1% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	224,913 (±2,332)	224,913 (±2,332)	5,980,523 (±22,985)	45,017,354
Owning households	139,057 (±2,183)	139,057 (±2,183)	7,567,568 (±37,334)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.0 (±0.0)	2.0 (±0.0)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.6 (±0.0)	2.6 (±0.0)	3.0 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$112,757 (±$4,185)	$112,757 (±$4,185)	$71,186 (±$298)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$190,856 (±$4,699)	$190,856 (±$4,699)	$127,456 (±$424)	$100,009

In San Francisco, the renter share is not measurably different from San Francisco County (61.8%).

It is also higher than in California (44.1%).

It is higher than the national figure (34.8%).

Statewide, it ranks 65 of 1,076.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in San Francisco has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	62.4% (±0.5 points)	61.8% (±0.6 points)	−0.6 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$1,895 (±$23)	$2,476 (±$30)	+30.7%	Up after inflation
Median household income	$112,449 (±$1,612)	$140,970 (±$2,593)	+25.4%	No measurable change after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near San Francisco

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with San Francisco
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
San Francisco	—	61.8% (±0.6 points)	—
Bolinas	22 mi	24.6% (±11.8 points)	Lower
Inverness	26 mi	21.6% (±11.5 points)	Lower
Lagunitas-Forest Knolls	27 mi	23.6% (±14.2 points)	Lower
Woodacre	29 mi	6.7% (±7.0 points)	Lower
Tamalpais-Homestead Valley	29 mi	14.6% (±4.1 points)	Lower
Mill Valley	30 mi	33.8% (±4.5 points)	Lower
Kentfield	30 mi	19.1% (±4.3 points)	Lower
Fairfax	30 mi	31.1% (±6.7 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Bolinas, CA (24.6%), Inverness, CA (21.6%), Lagunitas-Forest Knolls, CA (23.6%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about San Francisco

How many renters are there in San Francisco?

San Francisco has an estimated 224,913 (±2,332) renting households, 61.8% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in San Francisco?

In San Francisco, the share of households that rent went from 62.4% in 2015–2019 to 61.8% in 2020–2024 (−0.6 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in San Francisco?

A renting household in San Francisco has 2.0 people on average, against 2.6 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in San Francisco?

The median renting household in San Francisco, CA has an income of $112,757 (±$4,185) a year, against $190,856 for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for San Francisco city, California (place:67000, in state:06).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.