San Francisco/Compare
Mission Bay vs Noe Valley
Mission Bay and Noe Valley are two official analysis neighborhoods in San Francisco. Noe Valley is the calmer Part I map (68 vs 63). Noe Valley wins the errand count. Noe Valley has the lower ACS median ($3,308).
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 | Mission Bay | Noe Valley |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 63 | 68 |
| Schools | 40 | 100 |
| Walk | 0 | 5 |
| Cost fit | 72 | 76 |
| Vibe | 12 | 0 |
| Median rent | $3,485 | $3,308 |
| Median home | $1,190,373 | $1,951,224 |
| Population | 17,598 | 22,602 |
| Commute to FiDi | 24 min | 35 min |
| Commute to SoMa | 14 min | 27 min |
| Commute to Mission Bay | 6 min | 22 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Mission Bay | Noe Valley |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 66% | 53% |
| Median age | 33.9 | 39.6 |
| Median income | $198K | $215K |
| Part I per 1k | 29.1 | 24.2 |
| Groceries / 800m | 2 | 10 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 80 | 121 |
| Parks / 800m | 36 | 16 |
| 311 last 14 days | 437 | 636 |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for San Francisco city. Up 62% since 2014. Msn Bay is 41% above the 2024 city median. Noe is 34% 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 Mission Bay if you want the cafes and the night and the shorter ride to FiDi is the point. Vibe is 12 vs 0. 24 vs 35 minutes to FiDi. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Noe Valley if the school rating nearby is the point and you want the quieter, family-leaning read. Schools score 100 vs 40. Noe Valley is tagged family on this map; Mission Bay is not. ACS median rent is $3,308 vs $3,485. Read both pages before you decide.
Mission Bay
UCSF, new towers, and a shoreline that did not exist a generation ago. Planned more than discovered.
$3,485 median rent · safety 63 · walk 0
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, Mission Bay or Noe Valley?
Noe Valley is the lower ACS median: $3,485 vs $3,308. About 53% rent in Noe Valley vs 66% in Mission Bay. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Mission Bay more walkable than Noe Valley?
Noe Valley wins the errand count (walk 0 vs 5). Groceries inside 800 meters: 2 vs 10. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Mission Bay or Noe Valley?
Noe Valley is the calmer Part I read (68 vs 63). Combined rate 24.2 vs 29.1 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Mission Bay or Noe Valley?
Noe Valley leads the school axis (100 vs 40). Nearby rating is 8.8 / 10 vs 7.0 / 10. Median age 39.6 vs 33.9. Mission Bay has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to FiDi?
24 minutes from Mission Bay to FiDi, 35 from Noe Valley. Mission Bay is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official analysis neighborhood that is not Mission Bay or Noe Valley: Mission. Valencia corridor, Mission murals, and a density that never sleeps. The official analysis neighborhood is just Mission — search the street names.
Scores are relative among official San Francisco analysis neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.