71fit
FiDi / South Beach
$3K median rent
Towers, the Embarcadero, and a ballpark on the south edge. Official name is Financial District/South Beach — search FiDi.
NightlifePlannedWaterfrontWalk 100Safety 5
San Francisco/Hayes Valley
33fit
Hayes Valley
Official analysis neighborhood: Hayes Valley
Data vintage. ACS 2024 5-year · SFPD Oct 2025 – Sep 2026 · OSM Sep 2026 · updated Sep 2026
The freeway came down; the boutiques stayed. A compact walk to the opera without living on the Tenderloin edge.
hayes streetpatricia's green
Best in San Francisco for familiesWalkable San FranciscoUnder $2,500 rent
Why this score
Safety
16
60 violent · 716 property · 41.1 per 1k (Oct 2025 – Sep 2026)-34 vs city set
Schools
40
Rating 7.0 / 10 nearby-13 vs city set
Walk
17
OSM: 24 groceries · 31 cafes · 83 transit · 40 parks-9 vs city set
Cost
83
$2,636 ACS median vs your rent budget+3 vs city set
Vibe
21
OSM: 31 cafes · 98 restaurants · 29 bars · 40 parks-2 vs city set
Commute to work
From Hayes Valley, a typical weekday is 14 min to FiDi, 14 min to SoMa, 21 min to Mission Bay. Not live traffic.
FiDi is the fastest of these three job centers from here.
FiDi
14 min
Embarcadero offices · -10 min vs the city-set median · fastest of these three
SoMa
14 min
Tech lofts · -9 min vs the city-set median
Mission Bay
21 min
UCSF, new offices · -6 min vs the city-set median
Minutes are baked from neighborhood geography to three job centers — not Google, not this hour’s traffic.
Cost of living
ACS median gross rent is $2,636 across all occupied rental units — studios through large apartments mixed together, not a live 1-bed or 2-bed quote.
That is 24% of median household income — under the 30% HUD cost-burden line. A household at this area’s median income ($131K) could “afford” about $3,268 a month at 30% of gross pay.
83% of households rent. Median home value is $1,156,018.
ACS median rent
$2,636
30% income budget
$3,268
Rent / income
24%
Median home
$1,156,018
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for San Francisco city. Up 62% since 2014. Hayes Valley is 6% 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. The dashed mark is this area’s ACS 2024 median.
HUD treats 30% of gross household income as the cost-burden line. We do not split ACS median rent into 1-bed vs 2-bed — that table is all occupied rental units. Method.
Within a walk
Inside the official analysis neighborhood or within 800 meters of its centroid, OpenStreetMap maps 24 groceries, 31 cafes, 40 parks, and 83 transit stops.
Daily errands and coffee are realistic on foot. Parks are close — 40 mapped parks in that radius. Transit is dense (83 stops or stations).
31 cafes and 98 restaurants make this one of the busier food pockets in the San Francisco set.
Counts from OpenStreetMap, 800 m. Not a Walk Score license. Groceries here beat 15 of 19 other areas in this city set.
Population
18,871
Median age
35
Median income
$131K
Renters
83%
Bachelor+
69%
Violent / 1k
3.2
Property / 1k
37.9
ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024) · 5 census tracts · SFPD Oct 2025 – Sep 2026 · OSM 2026-09-01
NightlifePlanned
Crime is SFPD Part I reports per 1,000 ACS residents — not a judgment of who lives here. Home and rent figures are ACS medians, not live MLS. Read the method.
On the ground
What it is like to live here, beyond the scores.
The freeway came down; the boutiques stayed. Hayes Valley is the compact walk to the opera that Reddit locals still name as a favorite for being central without living on the Tenderloin edge. Patricia’s Green is the dog-and-coffee square.
Small, expensive, walkable to Civic Center, the Mission, and the Castro by design. Nightlife is wine bars more than clubs. Weight walk. The adjacent Market Street edge is the safety homework — tour it at 10 p.m., not just at brunch.
Compiled from Zillow neighborhood guides, 5280 Magazine, Chicago and San Francisco resident guides, Mpls With Love, Eastside LA reporting, and local coverage, 2025–2026. Editorial — not part of the fit score.
Common questions
Answers from the same ACS, crime, and OSM figures on this page.
Is Hayes Valley safe?
On this map Hayes Valley has a higher Part I rate than most San Francisco analysis neighborhoods in the set (safety 16 vs city 50). SFPD logged 3.2 violent and 37.9 property incidents per 1,000 ACS residents — 41.1 combined. Rates mix residents and visitors. They are not a judgment of who lives here.
What is rent in Hayes Valley?
ACS median rent is $2,636. Median home value is $1,156,018. About 83% of households rent. These are survey medians, not this week's listings.
Is Hayes Valley walkable?
Walk scores 17 here vs 26 for the San Francisco set — you will likely drive or ride for daily errands. OpenStreetMap counts within 800 meters: 24 groceries, 31 cafes, 83 transit stops, 40 parks.
Is Hayes Valley good for families?
Nightlife and visitor traffic show up in the amenity mix — not the quietest family default. Nearby school rating is 7.0 / 10. Median age is 35.
How long is the commute from Hayes Valley?
Typical weekday minutes to FiDi: 14. Not live traffic. Open the neighborhood page for the other job centers in San Francisco.
How many people live in Hayes Valley?
About 18,871 residents, median income $131K, 69% with a bachelor's or higher. ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024) · SFPD Oct 2025 – Sep 2026 · OSM.
What neighborhoods are next to Hayes Valley?
Closest on this map: FiDi / South Beach, South of Market, Nob Hill. Compare Hayes Valley vs FiDi / South Beach if you are deciding between two official analysis neighborhoods.
Next door
Adjacent on the analysis neighborhood map, ranked with your weights.
Hayes Valley vs FiDi / South BeachHayes Valley vs South of MarketHayes Valley vs Nob Hill
64fit
Nob Hill
$2K median rent
Cable cars, hotel bars, and a ridge between Chinatown and Pac Heights. Dense without SoMa's warehouse scale.
NightlifeWalk 73Safety 37
37fit
Western Addition
$2K median rent
Alamo Square, the Fillmore, and Japantown sit inside this analysis neighborhood. Painted ladies are the postcard; the grid is the product.
Walk 15Safety 32
37fit
Haight-Ashbury
$3K median rent
The Haight is the brand; the Panhandle is the commute. Still walkable, still loud on weekends, still next to the park.
NightlifeWalk 13Safety 74
33fit
South of Market
$2K median rent
Tech lofts, clubs, and a crime rate that downtown visitor traffic inflates. Walk scores max; evening quiet depends on the block.
NightlifePlannedWalk 24Safety 0