San Francisco/Compare
Castro vs Mission
Castro and Mission are two official analysis neighborhoods in San Francisco. Castro is the calmer Part I map (21 vs 11). Mission wins the errand count. Mission has the lower ACS median ($2,494).
Data vintage. ACS 2024 5-year · SFPD Oct 2025 – Sep 2026 · OSM Sep 2026 · updated Sep 2026
Scores
Fit axes among official San Francisco analysis neighborhoods.
| Axis | Castro | Mission |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 21 | 11 |
| Schools | 53 | 27 |
| Walk | 20 | 86 |
| Cost fit | 90 | 100 |
| Vibe | 14 | 61 |
| Median rent | $2,763 | $2,494 |
| Median home | $1,662,097 | $1,326,451 |
| Population | 21,944 | 55,114 |
| Commute to FiDi | 28 min | 22 min |
| Commute to SoMa | 22 min | 14 min |
| Commute to Mission Bay | 21 min | 13 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Castro | Mission |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 56% | 72% |
| Median age | 43.4 | 38.1 |
| Median income | $213K | $146K |
| Part I per 1k | 40.6 | 47.9 |
| Groceries / 800m | 15 | 83 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 135 | 158 |
| Parks / 800m | 43 | 48 |
| 311 last 14 days | 1,080 | 5,705 |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for San Francisco city. Up 62% since 2014. Castro is 12% above the 2024 city median. Mission is 1% above the 2024 city median.
Overlapping 5-year ACS windows (B25064), not asking rent. Census does not publish a rent series for each official neighborhood, so the line is the city place. Dashed marks are each area’s ACS 2024 median.
Which to pick
The same numbers as the table, in sentences. Nobody wins the city.
Pick Castro if the school rating nearby is the point and the quieter map matters more than the scene. Schools score 53 vs 27. Safety is 21 vs 11. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Mission if you want the errands on foot and you want the cafes and the night. Walk is 86 vs 20. Vibe is 61 vs 14. ACS median rent is $2,494 vs $2,763. Read both pages before you decide.
Castro
The Castro is the search term; Castro/Upper Market is the official polygon. Hills, neon, and a Muni metro under Market.
$2,763 median rent · safety 21 · walk 20
Mission
Valencia corridor, Mission murals, and a density that never sleeps. The official analysis neighborhood is just Mission — search the street names.
$2,494 median rent · safety 11 · walk 86
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Castro or Mission?
Mission is the lower ACS median: $2,763 vs $2,494. About 72% rent in Mission vs 56% in Castro. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Castro more walkable than Mission?
Mission wins the errand count (walk 20 vs 86). Groceries inside 800 meters: 15 vs 83. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Castro or Mission?
Castro is the calmer Part I read (21 vs 11). Combined rate 40.6 vs 47.9 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Castro or Mission?
Castro leads the school axis (53 vs 27). Nearby rating is 7.4 / 10 vs 6.6 / 10. Median age 43.4 vs 38.1. Mission has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to FiDi?
28 minutes from Castro to FiDi, 22 from Mission. Mission is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official analysis neighborhood that is not Castro or Mission: Haight-Ashbury. The Haight is the brand; the Panhandle is the commute. Still walkable, still loud on weekends, still next to the park.
Scores are relative among official San Francisco analysis neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.