The 2020 United States Census reported that San Francisco had a population of 873,965—an increase from the 2010 Census count of 805,235. The 2022 Census Bureau American Community Survey put the population at 808,437: a decrease of 65,528 from 2020. With a population density of 18,633 per square mile (7,194/km2), San Francisco is the second-most densely populated major American city, behind only New York (among cities greater than 200,000 population).After New York City, only for cities with greater than 200,000 population. Otherwise it is not 2nd.
San Francisco is the traditional focal point of the San Francisco Bay Area and forms part of the five-county San Francisco–Oakland–Hayward, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 4.6 million people. It is also part of the greater 12-county San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA Combined Statistical Area, whose population is over 8.75 million, making it the fifth-largest in the United States as of July 1, 2016.
Race and ethnicity
As of the 2024 census estimates, the racial makeup and population of San Francisco included: Whites (50.8%), Asians (37.2%), African Americans (5.7%), Native Americans (0.8%), Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (0.5%) two or more races (5%). The ethnic makeup of San Francisco is 16.4% Hispanics or Latinos of any race, 83.6% Non-Hispanic.
According to the 2024 census estimate, San Francisco has a minority-majority population, as non-Hispanic White Americans comprise less than half of the population at 36.5%, down from 92.5% in 1940. The principal Hispanic groups in the city were those of Mexican, Salvadoran, Nicaraguan, Guatemalan, and Puerto Rican ancestry. The Hispanic population is most heavily concentrated in the Mission District, Tenderloin District, and Excelsior District. San Francisco's African American population has declined in recent decades, from 13.4% of the population in 1970 to 6.1% in 2010. The current percentage of African Americans in San Francisco is similar to that of the state of California; conversely, the city's percentage of Hispanic residents is less than half of that of the state. The majority of the city's black population reside within the neighborhoods of Bayview-Hunters Point, and Visitacion Valley in southeastern San Francisco, and in the Fillmore District in the northeastern part of the city.
In 2010, residents of Chinese ethnicity constituted the largest single ethnic minority group in San Francisco at 21.4% of the population; the other Asian groups are Filipinos (4.5%), Vietnamese (1.6%), Japanese (1.3%), Asian Indians (1.2%), Koreans (1.2%), Thais (0.3%), Burmese (0.2%), Cambodians (0.2%), and Indonesians, Laotians, and Mongolians make up less than 0.1% of the city's population. The population of Chinese ancestry is most heavily concentrated in Chinatown, Sunset District, and Richmond District, whereas Filipinos are most concentrated in the Crocker-Amazon (which is contiguous with the Filipino community of Daly City, which has one of the highest concentrations of Filipinos in North America), as well as in SoMa.
After declining in the 1970s and 1980s, the Filipino community in the city has experienced a significant resurgence. The San Francisco Bay Area is home to over 382,950 Filipino Americans, one of the largest communities of Filipinos outside of the Philippines. The Tenderloin District is home to a large portion of the city's Vietnamese population as well as businesses and restaurants, which is known as the city's Little Saigon. Koreans and Japanese have a large presence in the Western Addition, which is where the city's Japantown is located. The Pacific Islander population is 0.4% (0.8% including those with partial ancestry). Over half of the Pacific Islander population is of Samoan descent, with residence in the Bayview-Hunters Point and Visitacion Valley areas; Pacific Islanders make up more than three percent of the population in both communities.
Native-born Californians form a relatively small percentage of the city's population: only 37.7% of its residents were born in California, while 25.2% were born in a different U.S. state. More than a third of San Francisco residents (34.2%) were born outside the United States.
Historical estimates Demographic profile1860187018801900191019201930194019501960197019801990200020102020Non-Hispanic White alone90.2%89.0%87.7%92.5%93.8%93.5%91.0%91.1%83.2%72.7%60.7%52.8%46.9%43.5%41.7%39.1%— Middle Eastern/Central Asian American——<0.1%0.1%0.2%0.2%0.5%(0.8%)(1.0%)(1.2%)(1.2%)1.2%1.5%1.4%1.4%1.9%— Hispanic American, n.e.c.—————<0.1%<0.1%(0.2%)(0.4%)(0.6%)(0.8%)0.7%0.7%0.6%0.9%0.3%— Eastern European American, n.e.c.——1.7%1.9%2.9%4.8%5.5%(7.1%)(7.9%)(8.1%)(7.8%)7.7%8.1%7.7%8.3%6.5%— Portuguese or Brazilian American, n.e.c.——0.3%0.4%0.4%0.5%0.5%(0.6%)(0.6%)(0.6%)(0.5%)0.5%0.5%0.4%0.4%0.3%— Italian American, n.e.c.——1.8%4.5%7.2%9.2%9.3%(9.3%)(8.5%)(7.4%)(6.2%)5.4%5.0%4.0%3.8%3.5%— Other European American, n.e.c.——83.8%85.6%82.8%77.%74.2%(73.1%)(64.8%)(54.8%)(44.3%)36.3%30.1%28.5%26.1%26.7%Non-Hispanic Asian alone4.6%8.0%9.3%4.6%3.8%2.7%4.0%4.1%3.6%7.9%14.0%21.3%28.0%30.7%33.1%33.7%— Chinese American4.6%8.0%9.3%4.1%2.7%1.5%2.5%2.8%2.5%5.1%8.7%12.1%17.6%20.0%19.8%21.0%— Filipino American—————0.2%0.5%0.5%0.5%1.5%3.6%5.2%5.4%5.0%4.9%4.4%— Indian American—————<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%———0.3%0.3%0.6%1.6%2.2%— Vietnamese American———————————0.8%1.3%1.4%2.1%1.4%— Korean American————<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%——0.1%0.5%0.9%0.9%1.5%1.5%— Japanese American—<0.1%<0.1%0.5%1.1%1.0%1.0%0.8%0.6%1.3%1.6%1.9%1.6%1.5%1.3%0.9%Hispanic or Latino, any race(s)3.0%2.1%2.4%2.5%2.5%3.4%4.4%4.1%5.7%9.4%11.5%12.6%13.3%14.2%15.2%15.6%— Native American/Indigenous alone<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%0.3%0.5%— Black alone or in combination0.1%<0.1%0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%0.2%0.5%0.2%0.3%0.4%0.2%0.6%— Asian or Pacific Islander alone—<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%0.1%0.2%0.8%0.5%0.3%0.2%0.4%— Listing European Ancestry, n.e.c.——0.9%1.1%0.9%1.4%1.5%(1.2%)(1.5%)(2.0%)(2.0%)1.7%1.3%1.3%2.0%2.4%— Salvadoran American, n.e.c.———<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%0.1%(0.2%)(0.3%)(0.7%)(1.1%)1.4%2.7%2.7%2.0%2.1%— Mexican American, n.e.c.——1.1%1.2%1.0%1.5%2.2%(2.0%)(2.6%)(4.1%)(4.7%)4.9%4.7%5.5%6.6%6.1%Non-Hispanic Black alone2.1%0.9%0.6%0.4%0.4%0.4%0.5%0.7%7.4%9.7%13.1%12.3%10.7%7.6%6.0%5.1%— Listing West Indian or Brazilian Ancestry ———————————0.2%0.1%0.1%0.2%0.2%— Listing Specific African Ancestry, n.e.c. ———————————0.1%0.2%0.1%0.2%0.5%— Other African American, n.e.c.———————————12.0%10.4%7.4%5.6%4.4%Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander alone————<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%—0.1%0.2%0.4%0.4%0.5%0.3%0.5%0.3%Non-Hispanic Native American alone<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%0.1%0.2%0.4%0.4%0.3%0.3%0.2%Non-Hispanic Other———————<0.1%0.2%0.3%0.4%0.2%0.3%0.3%0.3%0.8%Non-Hispanic Two or more races—————————————3.0%2.9%5.2%— White and Asian———————————(0.5%)(0.6%)1.0%1.5%2.3%— White and Black———————————(0.1%)(<0.1%)0.2%0.3%0.6% Source: US Census and IPUMS USA
Birthplace18421852186018801900191019201930194019501960197019801990200020102020United States5.6%45.9%49.8%55.5%65.2%65.6%69.9%72.3%77.0%81.2%79.8%76.3%70.5%64.6%61.6%61.8%65.8%— California—2.1%15.7%33.2%45.8%43.8%44.9%44.3%47.2%42.5%41.8%39.7%36.8%35.3%34.2%37.6%41.5%— Other Northern/Western U.S.5.1%36.1%29.1%19.8%17.3%19.0%21.7%24.3%25.3%27.3%27.6%27.0%23.7%20.9%20.1%18.0%18.2%— Southern U.S.0.5%7.7%5.0%2.5%2.1%2.8%3.3%3.6%4.5%11.3%10.4%9.6%10.1%8.4%7.2%6.2%6.1%Other Anglosphere3.6%29.8%24.3%19.6%13.4%10.7%8.4%7.1%5.5%2.9%2.9%2.9%1.7%1.6%1.9%2.3%2.3%— Britain2.6%14.1%5.6%4.3%3.7%3.4%2.9%2.5%1.9%1.3%1.0%1.0%0.6%0.5%0.7%0.7%0.9%— Ireland1.0%11.3%16.6%13.2%7.7%5.6%3.6%2.7%1.9%1.1%0.8%0.8%0.4%0.4%0.4%0.6%0.4%— Canada, Australia, or New Zealand—4.4%2.1%2.1%2.0%1.7%1.9%1.9%1.7%1.5%1.1%1.1%0.7%0.7%0.8%1.0%1.0%Other Europe or Central Asia1.5%14.5%18.6%14.8%16.7%19.9%18.2%16.0%13.5%8.8%9.1%6.3%4.8%3.8%4.3%3.9%3.6%— Former Soviet Union—0.1%0.1%0.2%0.4%1.1%1.2%1.4%1.4%1.2%1.3%1.0%1.0%1.1%1.9%1.5%1.3%— Germany or Austria—6.4%10.7%8.7%7.9%6.9%4.4%3.3%2.8%1.6%1.9%1.3%1.0%0.7%0.6%0.6%0.8%— France or Belgium0.5%5.2%4.0%1.9%1.5%1.6%1.5%1.1%0.8%0.5%0.5%0.5%0.3%0.4%0.3%0.4%0.7%— Netherlands, Switzerland, or Nordic Countries1.0%1.4%2.0%2.2%3.8%4.5%3.6%3.2%2.5%1.7%1.4%0.7%0.4%0.4%0.4%0.4%0.3%— Italy—0.5%0.8%1.1%2.2%4.1%4.8%4.4%3.8%2.3%2.2%1.2%1.0%0.5%0.3%0.4%0.2%— Southeast Europe—0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%1.0%1.3%1.3%1.2%0.8%0.9%0.9%0.5%0.3%0.3%0.3%0.1%— Spain or Portugal—0.3%0.3%0.2%0.2%0.5%0.7%0.5%0.4%0.5%0.3%0.2%0.2%0.2%0.1%0.2%0.1%— Poland, Czechia, or Slovakia—0.3%0.6%0.4%0.3%0.1%0.6%0.6%0.5%0.2%0.4%0.4%0.3%0.2%0.2%0.2%0.0%Asia-Pacific0.5%0.7%4.8%9.0%3.7%2.9%2.0%2.6%2.4%2.4%4.5%8.8%15.0%20.0%22.8%22.9%20.0%— China—0.4%4.7%8.9%3.2%1.8%0.9%1.4%1.4%1.4%2.4%4.0%7.2%10.6%12.8%13.0%11.7%—— (Hong Kong or Taiwan)————————————(1.7%)(2.5%)(2.9%)(2.3%)(2.1%)— Philippines0.5%0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%0.3%0.6%0.5%0.5%1.4%2.7%4.4%4.2%4.2%3.4%3.1%— India—<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%0.1%<0.1%0.3%0.5%0.6%0.9%1.4%1.6%— Vietnam———————————<0.1%1.0%2.0%2.1%2.1%1.4%— Korea————<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%—<0.1%0.1%0.5%0.8%0.7%1.1%1.0%— Japan——<0.1%<0.1%0.5%1.0%0.8%0.6%0.4%0.3%0.4%0.7%0.8%0.7%0.8%0.7%0.4%Latin America or Caribbean88.8%9.0%1.9%1.0%0.6%0.6%1.3%1.8%1.3%1.6%2.7%4.5%5.6%7.7%8.2%7.9%6.8%— Mexico88.3%6.1%1.5%0.7%0.7%0.5%0.8%1.1%0.8%0.9%0.9%1.5%1.9%2.3%2.8%3.1%2.4%— El Salvador—<0.1%——<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%0.4%1.1%1.1%2.1%2.0%1.3%1.4%— Other Central America—<0.1%0.1%0.1%<0.1%<0.1%0.1%0.3%0.2%0.4%0.7%1.1%1.4%1.9%1.9%1.6%1.5%— South America0.5%2.6%0.6%0.2%0.1%0.1%0.2%0.2%0.2%0.1%0.3%0.5%0.6%0.9%1.0%1.3%1.3%— Caribbean—<0.1%0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%0.4%0.3%0.6%0.5%0.4%0.4%0.2%Middle East or North Africa—<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%0.2%0.2%0.4%0.3%0.7%0.9%0.9%0.8%1.0%Sub-Saharan Africa—0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%0.1%<0.1%0.1%0.2%0.3%0.3%0.4%Born Outside the United States94.4%54.1%50.2%44.5%34.8%34.4%30.1%27.7%23.0%18.8%20.2%23.7%29.5%35.4%38.4%38.2%34.2%Born Outside California—95.9%83.9%66.7%54.0%56.1%55.1%55.7%52.8%57.5%58.2%60.3%63.2%64.7%65.8%62.4%58.5% Source: 1842 San Francisco Census, 1852 California Census, US Census, and IPUMS USA
2019 United States Census Bureau American Community Survey estimates
According to 2019 American Community Survey annual estimates conducted by the US Census Bureau, San Francisco's population was 45.2% European American (39.8% Non-Hispanic White and 5.4% Hispanic White), 5.5% Black or African American, 34.9% Asian, 7.9% Some Other Race, 0.4% Native American and Alaskan Native, 0.4% Pacific Islander and 5.7% from two or more races.
The White population continues to remain the largest racial category in San Francisco and includes the 35.5% of Hispanics who self-identify as White. The remainder of Hispanics self-identify as Other Race (49.1%), Multiracial (10.7%), American Indian and Alaskan Native (0.8%), Black (1.6%), Asian (2.2%), and Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (0.2%).
Asian Americans remain the largest minority group at either 34.9% (including Asian Hispanics) or 34.6% (excluding Asian Hispanics).
The Black population continues to decline and at 5.5% (including Black Hispanics) or 5.2% (excluding Black Hispanics) is well below the national average of 12.8% (including Black Hispanics). The Black population peaked in the 1970 Census at 13.4%.
If Hispanics are treated as a separate category from race, San Francisco's population was 39.8% European, 34.6% Asian, 15.2% Hispanic-Latino, 5.2% Black or African American, 0.4% Some Other Race, 0.3% Native American and Alaskan Native, 0.4% Pacific Islander and 4.1% from two or more races. By ethnicity, 15.2% of the total population is Hispanic-Latino (of any race), below the national average of 18.4%. If treated as a category separate from race, Hispanics are the third largest minority group in San Francisco County.