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San Francisco/Compare

Inner Sunset vs Western Addition

Inner Sunset and Western Addition are two official analysis neighborhoods in San Francisco. Inner Sunset is the calmer Part I map (95 vs 32). Walk is a wash (13 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.

AxisInner SunsetWestern Addition
Safety9532
Schools9033
Walk1315
Cost fit86100
Vibe918
Median rent$2,916$2,077
Median home$1,680,328$1,013,697
Population27,14422,288
Commute to FiDi33 min21 min
Commute to SoMa32 min23 min
Commute to Mission Bay34 min29 min

Living numbers

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

FactInner SunsetWestern Addition
Renters59%78%
Median age4043.4
Median income$168K$105K
Part I per 1k11.137.1
Groceries / 800m1520
Transit stops / 800m12397
Parks / 800m2548
311 last 14 days644685

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. W Add is 16% below the 2024 city median.

$1.6k$3.3kI Sun $2,916W Add $2,077201420162018202020222024

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 school rating nearby is the point. Safety is 95 vs 32. Schools score 90 vs 33. Inner Sunset is tagged family on this map; Western Addition is not. Read both pages before you decide.

Pick Western Addition if the rent gap is the point and the shorter ride to FiDi is the point. ACS median rent is $2,077 vs $2,916. 21 vs 33 minutes to FiDi. Vibe is 18 vs 9. 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

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, Inner Sunset or Western Addition?

Western Addition is the lower ACS median: $2,916 vs $2,077. About 78% rent in Western Addition vs 59% in Inner Sunset. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.

Is Inner Sunset more walkable than Western Addition?

Walk is basically a tie (13 vs 15). Count groceries if you care: 15 in Inner Sunset vs 20 in Western Addition, inside 800 meters.

Which is safer on this map, Inner Sunset or Western Addition?

Inner Sunset is the calmer Part I read (95 vs 32). Combined rate 11.1 vs 37.1 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.

Which scores higher for families, Inner Sunset or Western Addition?

Inner Sunset leads the school axis (90 vs 33). Nearby rating is 8.5 / 10 vs 6.8 / 10. Median age 40 vs 43.4. Western Addition has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.

Which has the shorter commute to FiDi?

33 minutes from Inner Sunset to FiDi, 21 from Western Addition. Western Addition is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.

If you drop both

Closest official analysis neighborhood that is not Inner Sunset or Western Addition: 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-AshburyWestern Addition vs Haight-Ashbury

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