The 10 Worst Neighborhoods In San Francisco For 2022


We used data and science to identify the neighborhoods in San Francisco that are the real pits.

San Francisco's neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You've got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.

It seems as if there's a neighborhood for everyone in San Francisco.

And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in the country thanks in part to a strong economy and tons of entertainment, it's not all rainbows and sunshine in San Francisco. Some neighborhoods aren't as great as others.

So the question arises, which San Francisco neighborhoods are the worst, and which are the best?

Today, we'll use science and data to determine which San Francisco hoods need a little tender loving care - the sore thumbs of the San Francisco area if you will. Realistically, you can't expect all the neighborhoods to be amazing, although Pacific Heights ranks way above the rest.

We examined 34 of San Francisco's neighborhoods to find out the worst places to live. These places don't quite measure up to San Francisco's reputation.

So what's the worst neighborhood to live in San Francisco for 2022? According to the most recent census data, Bayview looks to be the worst neighborhood in San Francisco.

Read on to see how we determined the places around San Francisco that need a pick-me-up. And remember, don't blame the messenger.

Once you're done, you can look at the bottom of the story for a complete chart of every neighborhood we looked at from worst to best. Looking for places to avoid outside of the city? You can also check out the worst suburbs of San Francisco.

For more California reading, check out:

Worst Neighborhoods In San Francisco

The 10 Worst Neighborhoods In San Francisco For 2022

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 35,739
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $567,431 (5th worst)
Median Income: $63,752 (4th worst)
More on Bayview:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 24,607
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $541,511 (3rd worst)
Median Income: $62,162 (3rd worst)
More on Visitacion Valley:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 22,014
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $745,567 (11th worst)
Median Income: $100,506 (18th worst)
More on Lakeshore:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 39,932
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $278,081 (worst)
Median Income: $43,555 (2nd worst)
More on Downtown:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 6,974
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $654,150 (8th worst)
Median Income: $101,601 (19th worst)
More on Financial District:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 10,136
Rank Last Year: 6 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $557,736 (4th worst)
Median Income: $35,896 (worst)
More on Chinatown:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 13,448
Rank Last Year: 7 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $852,064 (14th worst)
Median Income: $162,259 (34th worst)
More on Potrero Hill:  Data

Potrero Hill San Francisco, CA

Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 37,796
Rank Last Year: 8 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $646,360 (7th worst)
Median Income: $74,182 (6th worst)
More on Excelsior:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 11,601
Rank Last Year: 9 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $930,373 (19th worst)
Median Income: $83,033 (9th worst)
More on North Beach:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 29,799
Rank Last Year: 10 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $704,303 (10th worst)
Median Income: $86,739 (10th worst)
More on Outer Mission:  Data

Methodology: How we determined the worst San Francisco neighborhoods in 2022

To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We threw the following criteria into this analysis in order to get the best, most complete results possible. We used this set of criteria for each neighborhood in San Francisco:

  • High unemployment (Less jobs)
  • Low median income (Less pay)
  • Low population density (No things to do)
  • Low home values (No one's willing to pay to live here)
  • High crime (Estimated)

Then, we ranked each neighborhood in San Francisco, California for each of these criteria from worst to best.

Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criteria into a "Worst Score".

The neighborhood with the lowest "Worst Score" ranks as the worst neighborhood of San Francisco.

Read on below to learn more about these terrible places around San Francisco to live. Or skip to the end to see the list of all 34 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.

This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased. Hold on to your pants.

Summary: The Worst Neighborhoods Around San Francisco

Well there you have it -- the worst of the neighborhoods in San Francisco with Bayview landing at the bottom of the pack.

As we mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in San Francisco aren't all bad. Pacific Heights takes the cake as the best place to live in San Francisco.

We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below.

For more California reading, check out:

Where Are The Worst Neighborhoods To Live In San Francisco For 2022?

Rank Neighborhood Population Home Value Median Income
1 Bayview 35,739 $567,431 $63,752
2 Visitacion Valley 24,607 $541,511 $62,162
3 Lakeshore 22,014 $745,567 $100,506
4 Downtown 39,932 $278,081 $43,555
5 Financial District 6,974 $654,150 $101,601
6 Chinatown 10,136 $557,736 $35,896
7 Potrero Hill 13,448 $852,064 $162,259
8 Excelsior 37,796 $646,360 $74,182
9 North Beach 11,601 $930,373 $83,033
10 Outer Mission 29,799 $704,303 $86,739
11 Mission 56,009 $867,014 $97,270
12 South Of Market 35,386 $524,714 $101,937
13 Crocker Amazon 11,751 $625,375 $66,706
14 Parkside 27,661 $854,611 $92,322
15 Diamond Heights 2,239 $973,900 $111,872
16 Ocean View 30,618 $678,568 $78,895
17 Western Addition 52,616 $798,807 $88,050
18 Bernal Heights 28,638 $866,685 $109,995
19 Outer Sunset 50,788 $833,912 $97,155
20 Castro-Upper Market 21,884 $1,067,308 $127,427
21 Glen Park 6,919 $1,039,022 $112,125
22 Russian Hill 17,133 $1,025,593 $100,085
23 Inner Richmond 38,842 $1,216,510 $98,249
24 Nob Hill 21,931 $924,939 $79,561
25 Twin Peaks 7,538 $1,073,870 $125,742
26 Presidio Heights 8,734 $1,506,982 $137,831
27 West Of Twin Peaks 21,375 $1,095,080 $153,714
28 Haight-Ashbury 23,717 $1,251,521 $129,402
29 Outer Richmond 36,055 $1,024,713 $88,321
30 Marina 22,358 $1,454,491 $129,602
31 Seacliff 1,429 $1,346,400 $134,269
32 Inner Sunset 27,720 $1,007,320 $112,050
33 Noe Valley 21,074 $1,219,727 $133,927
34 Pacific Heights 19,716 $1,550,042 $147,213

Editor's Note: This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don't freak out we updated this article for 2022. This is our time ranking the worst neighborhoods to live in San Francisco.
About Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson earned his masters in Business Administration from the Drucker School At Claremont Graduate University. He has written for 39 publications across the country and ran the media relations department at Movoto, a real estate portal based in San Francisco. He has been featured in over 500 publications as an expert in real estate and as an authority on real estate trends.

Nick's the creator of the HomeSnacks YouTube channel that now has over 260,000 subscribers and is an excellent source to learn about different parts of the country.