San Mateo County · California · West · 830k residents
San Francisco, CA: economy, jobs & business costs
The site-selection read on San Francisco: labor costs, talent, corporate tax, energy, and business activity, with the California median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: Curated city row; coverage varies by fact.
Average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $4,119/wk. California's corporate income tax rate is 8.84%. Commercial electricity averages 25.5¢/kWh.
Compare San Francisco side by side
Avg. weekly wage
$4,119/wk
Corporate income tax
8.84%
Bachelor's degree or higher
60.3%
Commercial electricity
25.5¢/kWh
Economic momentum
How fast San Francisco's economy is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
45/100
Steady
Ranks San Francisco's residential building-permit and jobs growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. This is economic activity, not commercial lease rates or vacancy. Not investment or relocation advice.
| Median home value | $1,300,000 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $1,000 |
| Property tax rate | 0.75% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $3,300/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $4,300/mo |
| State & local income tax | 2.09% |
| Sales tax | 8.63% |
| Corporate income tax | 8.84% |
| Avg. weekly wage | $4,119/wk |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 60.3% |
| Commercial electricity | 25.5¢/kWh |
| Businesses per 1k residents | 44.2/1k |
| Wage: Software developer | $186,640 |
| Wage: Registered nurse | $186,610 |
| Wage: General manager | $149,990 |
| Wage: Customer service | $57,830 |
| Wage: Warehouse worker | $45,130 |
| Wage: Heavy truck driver | $66,450 |
| Wage: Electrician | $92,830 |
| Wage: Retail salesperson | $43,850 |
| Cost of living index | 178 |
| Groceries index | 118 |
| Utilities | $240/mo |
| Transit pass | $81/mo |
| Gas price | $4.80/gal |
| Healthcare index | 112 |
| Childcare (per child) | $2,450/mo |
| Median household income | $127,000 |
| Unemployment rate | 4% |
| Population | 830k |
| Crime index | 46/100 |
| School rating | 7.0/10 |
| Walkability | 89/100 |
| Disaster risk | 99/100 |
| Avg. commute | 32 min |
| Sunny days / year | 259 days |
| July high | 73°F |
| January low | 45°F |
| Annual snowfall | — |
| Home price YoY | +7.6% |
| Home price MoM | +1.2% |
| Rent YoY | +18.0% |
| Rent MoM | +2.1% |
| Employment (jobs) YoY | -1.2% |
| Building permits YoY | +87.5% |
| Ocean coast | 10 mi |
| Big lake | 68 mi |
| Mountains | 31 mi |
| Major airport | < 3 mi |
| Ski resort | 145 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- South San Francisco, CA · 64k
- San Mateo, CA · 103k
- Daly City, CA · 102k
- Alameda, CA · 77k
- Redwood City, CA · 82k
Similar size
- San Jose, CA · 990k
- Fresno, CA · 546k
- Sacramento, CA · 529k
- Long Beach, CA · 456k
- Oakland, CA · 439k
Real listings in San Francisco
LoopNet ↗Crexi ↗CommercialCafe ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- Is San Francisco a good place to run a business?
- California's corporate income tax rate is 8.84%; average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $4,119/wk; commercial electricity averages 25.5¢/kWh. Weigh these against your own priorities in the business comparison tool.
- What is the cost of living in San Francisco, CA?
- San Francisco indexes at 178 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $4,300/mo and a median home value of $1,300,000.
- How much does a house cost in San Francisco?
- The median home value in San Francisco is $1,300,000 (compiled estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in San Francisco?
- A two-bedroom in San Francisco rents for about $4,300/mo.