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San Francisco/Compare

Inner Sunset vs Noe Valley

Inner Sunset and Noe Valley are two official analysis neighborhoods in San Francisco. Inner Sunset is the calmer Part I map (95 vs 68). Inner Sunset wins the errand count. Inner Sunset has the lower ACS median ($2,916).

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.

AxisInner SunsetNoe Valley
Safety9568
Schools90100
Walk135
Cost fit8676
Vibe90
Median rent$2,916$3,308
Median home$1,680,328$1,951,224
Population27,14422,602
Commute to FiDi33 min35 min
Commute to SoMa32 min27 min
Commute to Mission Bay34 min22 min

Living numbers

Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.

FactInner SunsetNoe Valley
Renters59%53%
Median age4039.6
Median income$168K$215K
Part I per 1k11.124.2
Groceries / 800m1510
Transit stops / 800m123121
Parks / 800m2516
311 last 14 days644636

Rent

Rent since 2014

ACS 5-year median gross rent for San Francisco city. Up 62% since 2014. I Sun is 18% above the 2024 city median. Noe is 34% above the 2024 city median.

$1.9k$3.7kI Sun $2,916Noe $3,308201420162018202020222024

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 Inner Sunset if the quieter map matters more than the scene and the rent gap is the point. Safety is 95 vs 68. ACS median rent is $2,916 vs $3,308. Vibe is 9 vs 0. Read both pages before you decide.

Pick Noe Valley if the school rating nearby is the point. Schools score 100 vs 90. Read both pages before you decide.

Inner Sunset

Ninth Avenue, UCSF up the hill, and Cole Valley on the eastern edge. The walkable west side.

$2,916 median rent · safety 95 · walk 13

Noe Valley

Strollers on 24th, sun on the south slope, and the lowest violent rate in this set. The family read of inner SF.

$3,308 median rent · safety 68 · walk 5

Common questions

Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.

Which is cheaper, Inner Sunset or Noe Valley?

Inner Sunset is the lower ACS median: $2,916 vs $3,308. About 59% rent in Inner Sunset vs 53% in Noe Valley. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.

Is Inner Sunset more walkable than Noe Valley?

Inner Sunset wins the errand count (walk 13 vs 5). Groceries inside 800 meters: 15 vs 10. Not a Walk Score license.

Which is safer on this map, Inner Sunset or Noe Valley?

Inner Sunset is the calmer Part I read (95 vs 68). Combined rate 11.1 vs 24.2 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.

Which scores higher for families, Inner Sunset or Noe Valley?

Noe Valley leads the school axis (100 vs 90). Nearby rating is 8.8 / 10 vs 8.5 / 10. Median age 39.6 vs 40. Neither number is a school assignment.

Which has the shorter commute to FiDi?

33 minutes from Inner Sunset to FiDi, 35 from Noe Valley. Inner Sunset is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.

If you drop both

Closest official analysis neighborhood that is not Inner Sunset or Noe Valley: Haight-Ashbury. The Haight is the brand; the Panhandle is the commute. Still walkable, still loud on weekends, still next to the park.

Inner Sunset vs Haight-AshburyNoe Valley vs Haight-Ashbury

Scores are relative among official San Francisco analysis neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.