San Francisco/Compare
Mission Bay vs Potrero Hill
Mission Bay and Potrero Hill are two official analysis neighborhoods in San Francisco. Mission Bay is the calmer Part I map (63 vs 58). Potrero Hill wins the errand count. Potrero Hill has the lower ACS median ($3,376).
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 | Potrero Hill |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 63 | 58 |
| Schools | 40 | 57 |
| Walk | 0 | 7 |
| Cost fit | 72 | 74 |
| Vibe | 12 | 8 |
| Median rent | $3,485 | $3,376 |
| Median home | $1,190,373 | $1,530,280 |
| Population | 17,598 | 16,013 |
| Commute to FiDi | 24 min | 32 min |
| Commute to SoMa | 14 min | 22 min |
| Commute to Mission Bay | 6 min | 13 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Mission Bay | Potrero Hill |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 66% | 57% |
| Median age | 33.9 | 35.2 |
| Median income | $198K | $223K |
| Part I per 1k | 29.1 | 31.2 |
| Groceries / 800m | 2 | 11 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 80 | 91 |
| Parks / 800m | 36 | 39 |
| 311 last 14 days | 437 | 412 |
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. Potrero is 36% 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 the shorter ride to FiDi is the point and you want the cafes and the night. 24 vs 32 minutes to FiDi. Vibe is 12 vs 8. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Potrero Hill if the school rating nearby is the point and you want the quieter, family-leaning read. Schools score 57 vs 40. Potrero Hill is tagged family on this map; Mission Bay is not. ACS median rent is $3,376 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
Potrero Hill
Sunny slope, Dogpatch on the eastern edge, and a view back at downtown. Quieter than the Mission; still inner.
$3,376 median rent · safety 58 · walk 7
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Mission Bay or Potrero Hill?
Potrero Hill is the lower ACS median: $3,485 vs $3,376. About 57% rent in Potrero Hill vs 66% in Mission Bay. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Mission Bay more walkable than Potrero Hill?
Potrero Hill wins the errand count (walk 0 vs 7). Groceries inside 800 meters: 2 vs 11. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Mission Bay or Potrero Hill?
Mission Bay is the calmer Part I read (63 vs 58). Combined rate 29.1 vs 31.2 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Mission Bay or Potrero Hill?
Potrero Hill leads the school axis (57 vs 40). Nearby rating is 7.5 / 10 vs 7.0 / 10. Median age 35.2 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, 32 from Potrero Hill. 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 Potrero Hill: 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.