San Francisco/Compare
Hayes Valley vs Western Addition
Hayes Valley and Western Addition are two official analysis neighborhoods in San Francisco. Western Addition is the calmer Part I map (32 vs 16). Walk is a wash (17 vs 15). Western Addition has the lower ACS median ($2,077).
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 | Western Addition |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 16 | 32 |
| Schools | 40 | 33 |
| Walk | 17 | 15 |
| Cost fit | 95 | 100 |
| Vibe | 21 | 18 |
| Median rent | $2,636 | $2,077 |
| Median home | $1,156,018 | $1,013,697 |
| Population | 18,871 | 22,288 |
| Commute to FiDi | 14 min | 21 min |
| Commute to SoMa | 14 min | 23 min |
| Commute to Mission Bay | 21 min | 29 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Hayes Valley | Western Addition |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 83% | 78% |
| Median age | 35 | 43.4 |
| Median income | $131K | $105K |
| Part I per 1k | 41.1 | 37.1 |
| Groceries / 800m | 24 | 20 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 83 | 97 |
| Parks / 800m | 40 | 48 |
| 311 last 14 days | 1,356 | 685 |
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. W Add is 16% below 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 shorter ride to FiDi is the point. Vibe is 21 vs 18. 14 vs 21 minutes to FiDi. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Western Addition if the rent gap is the point and the quieter map matters more than the scene. ACS median rent is $2,077 vs $2,636. Safety is 32 vs 16. 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
Western Addition
Alamo Square, the Fillmore, and Japantown sit inside this analysis neighborhood. Painted ladies are the postcard; the grid is the product.
$2,077 median rent · safety 32 · walk 15
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Hayes Valley or Western Addition?
Western Addition is the lower ACS median: $2,636 vs $2,077. About 78% rent in Western Addition vs 83% in Hayes Valley. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Hayes Valley more walkable than Western Addition?
Walk is basically a tie (17 vs 15). Count groceries if you care: 24 in Hayes Valley vs 20 in Western Addition, inside 800 meters.
Which is safer on this map, Hayes Valley or Western Addition?
Western Addition is the calmer Part I read (32 vs 16). Combined rate 37.1 vs 41.1 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Hayes Valley or Western Addition?
Hayes Valley leads the school axis (40 vs 33). Nearby rating is 7.0 / 10 vs 6.8 / 10. Median age 35 vs 43.4. Western Addition 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, 21 from Western Addition. 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 Western Addition: Nob Hill. Cable cars, hotel bars, and a ridge between Chinatown and Pac Heights. Dense without SoMa's warehouse scale.
Scores are relative among official San Francisco analysis neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.