San Francisco/Compare
Mission vs Nob Hill
Mission and Nob Hill are two official analysis neighborhoods in San Francisco. Nob Hill is the calmer Part I map (37 vs 11). Mission wins the errand count. Nob Hill has the lower ACS median ($2,106).
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 | Nob Hill |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 11 | 37 |
| Schools | 27 | 23 |
| Walk | 86 | 73 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 61 | 48 |
| Median rent | $2,494 | $2,106 |
| Median home | $1,326,451 | $1,225,172 |
| Population | 55,114 | 23,536 |
| Commute to FiDi | 22 min | 13 min |
| Commute to SoMa | 14 min | 21 min |
| Commute to Mission Bay | 13 min | 29 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Mission | Nob Hill |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 72% | 87% |
| Median age | 38.1 | 40.1 |
| Median income | $146K | $100K |
| Part I per 1k | 47.9 | 35.9 |
| Groceries / 800m | 83 | 59 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 158 | 188 |
| Parks / 800m | 48 | 31 |
| 311 last 14 days | 5,705 | 1,415 |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for San Francisco city. Up 62% since 2014. Mission is 1% above the 2024 city median. Nob is 15% 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 Mission if you want the errands on foot and you want the cafes and the night. Walk is 86 vs 73. Vibe is 61 vs 48. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Nob Hill if the quieter map matters more than the scene and the rent gap is the point. Safety is 37 vs 11. ACS median rent is $2,106 vs $2,494. 13 vs 22 minutes to FiDi. Read both pages before you decide.
Mission
Valencia corridor, Mission murals, and a density that never sleeps. The official analysis neighborhood is just Mission — search the street names.
$2,494 median rent · safety 11 · walk 86
Nob Hill
Cable cars, hotel bars, and a ridge between Chinatown and Pac Heights. Dense without SoMa's warehouse scale.
$2,106 median rent · safety 37 · walk 73
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Mission or Nob Hill?
Nob Hill is the lower ACS median: $2,494 vs $2,106. About 87% rent in Nob Hill vs 72% in Mission. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Mission more walkable than Nob Hill?
Mission wins the errand count (walk 86 vs 73). Groceries inside 800 meters: 83 vs 59. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Mission or Nob Hill?
Nob Hill is the calmer Part I read (37 vs 11). Combined rate 35.9 vs 47.9 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Mission or Nob Hill?
Mission leads the school axis (27 vs 23). Nearby rating is 6.6 / 10 vs 6.5 / 10. Median age 38.1 vs 40.1. Nob Hill has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to FiDi?
22 minutes from Mission to FiDi, 13 from Nob Hill. Nob Hill is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official analysis neighborhood that is not Mission or Nob Hill: Hayes Valley. The freeway came down; the boutiques stayed. A compact walk to the opera without living on the Tenderloin edge.
Scores are relative among official San Francisco analysis neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.