Compare

Daly City vs San Francisco

Which is the better fit for you?

Daly City, CA
59
Area Score
Bottom 44% nationally
San Francisco, CA
59
Area Score
Bottom 43% nationally

Daly City and San Francisco receive effectively the same standardized Area Score. Which fits you better depends on which dimensions you weight — the differences below are where they actually diverge.

Signals

Daly City
San Francisco
Opportunity
64 · Top 33%
vs
65 · Top 31%
Growth
52 · Top 48%
vs
37 · Bottom 27%
Climate
89 · Top 8%
vs
89 · Top 8%
Physical resilience
37 · Bottom 30%
vs
45 · Bottom 35%
Housing affordability
39 · Bottom 4%
vs
48 · Bottom 9%
Access
99 · Top 8%
vs
81 · Bottom 24%
Economic stability
64 · Top 42%
vs
59 · Bottom 46%

Measured values

MetricDaly CitySan FranciscoSource period
Population101,964830,2352024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income$123,547$140,9702024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$50,863$92,2892024 ACS 5-Year
Population density13,329/sq mi17,784/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$1,115,000$1,394,5002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$2,551$2,4762024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate60.2%38.2%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate3.6%3.7%June 2026
Employment change (year over year)-0.9%-0.9%June 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher38.9%60.3%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate7.7%11.2%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)2401,62212 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents2.42.012 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)990.9%27.9%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high66°F66°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low47°F47°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation22.9"22.9"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport8 mi37 miNASR current cycle
Average commute31.4 min33.1 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age42.640.02024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools221282024-25 school year
Students per teacher21.0121.462024-25 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility45.6%54.3%2024-25 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

Physical risk tradeoff

Daly City

Elevated or high exposure: earthquake, inland flooding.

San Francisco

Elevated or high exposure: earthquake.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Daly City
64
Your Score
59
Area Score
San Francisco
61
Your Score
59
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Daly City, CA · San Francisco, CA · How this is calculated: methodology

Daly City vs San Francisco: Location Comparison | AreaProfile