San Francisco/Compare
Hayes Valley vs Russian Hill
Hayes Valley and Russian Hill are two official analysis neighborhoods in San Francisco. Russian Hill is the calmer Part I map (53 vs 16). Hayes Valley wins the errand count. Hayes Valley has the lower ACS median ($2,636).
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 | Hayes Valley | Russian Hill |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 16 | 53 |
| Schools | 40 | 67 |
| Walk | 17 | 11 |
| Cost fit | 95 | 90 |
| Vibe | 21 | 18 |
| Median rent | $2,636 | $2,788 |
| Median home | $1,156,018 | $1,422,991 |
| Population | 18,871 | 15,524 |
| Commute to FiDi | 14 min | 20 min |
| Commute to SoMa | 14 min | 29 min |
| Commute to Mission Bay | 21 min | 38 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Hayes Valley | Russian Hill |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 83% | 79% |
| Median age | 35 | 38.3 |
| Median income | $131K | $156K |
| Part I per 1k | 41.1 | 31.3 |
| Groceries / 800m | 24 | 10 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 83 | 97 |
| Parks / 800m | 40 | 50 |
| 311 last 14 days | 1,356 | 556 |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for San Francisco city. Up 62% since 2014. Hayes is 6% above the 2024 city median. R Hill is 13% 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 Hayes Valley if you want the cafes and the night and the rent gap is the point. Vibe is 21 vs 18. ACS median rent is $2,636 vs $2,788. 14 vs 20 minutes to FiDi. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Russian Hill if the quieter map matters more than the scene and the school rating nearby is the point. Safety is 53 vs 16. Schools score 67 vs 40. Read both pages before you decide.
Hayes Valley
The freeway came down; the boutiques stayed. A compact walk to the opera without living on the Tenderloin edge.
$2,636 median rent · safety 16 · walk 17
Russian Hill
The crooked street is the postcard. The rest is steep walks, bay windows, and a quieter read of the north waterfront.
$2,788 median rent · safety 53 · walk 11
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Hayes Valley or Russian Hill?
Hayes Valley is the lower ACS median: $2,636 vs $2,788. About 83% rent in Hayes Valley vs 79% in Russian Hill. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Hayes Valley more walkable than Russian Hill?
Hayes Valley wins the errand count (walk 17 vs 11). Groceries inside 800 meters: 24 vs 10. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Hayes Valley or Russian Hill?
Russian Hill is the calmer Part I read (53 vs 16). Combined rate 31.3 vs 41.1 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Hayes Valley or Russian Hill?
Russian Hill leads the school axis (67 vs 40). Nearby rating is 7.8 / 10 vs 7.0 / 10. Median age 38.3 vs 35. Hayes Valley has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to FiDi?
14 minutes from Hayes Valley to FiDi, 20 from Russian Hill. Hayes Valley is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official analysis neighborhood that is not Hayes Valley or Russian Hill: FiDi / South Beach. Towers, the Embarcadero, and a ballpark on the south edge. Official name is Financial District/South Beach — search FiDi.
Hayes Valley vs FiDi / South BeachRussian Hill vs FiDi / South Beach
Scores are relative among official San Francisco analysis neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.