San Francisco Has More Asians, More Elderly, and More Tots

Matt Smith

More people are biking to work

​San Franciscans are on average older, more Asian, more likely to ride their bike to work, and better educated than they were 10 years ago, according to a new Planning Department analysis of Census data.

You might have guessed all that, but this might surprise you: Despite years of politicians moaning that San Francisco was unfriendly to families, the number of S.F. households with children has grown over the past decade -- albeit meagerly.

According to the report "San Francisco Socio-Economic Profile," delivered to the Board of Supervisors Friday, there are more families living locally than there were a decade ago. Yet we are relatively family-unfriendly when compared with other cities. City analysts pored over data from the 2005-2009 American Community Survey to determine local trends.

There are more children under five years old, but San Francisco continues to be among the top three major cities with the fewest children. The number of older San Franciscans are growing as well. Family households are increasing, but there are also more single-person households.

With relatively few children comes a high median age:

San Francisco is getting older. The 2005-2009 ACS estimated the Citywide median age at 38.2 years. By comparison, the statewide median age is 34.6 years and nationwide, 36.5 years. The City is also one of the three major U.S. cities with the least number of children per capita.

The city's racial makeup has tilted slightly during the past decade, becoming slightly whiter. Asian Americans now make up 33 percent of the city compared to 31 percent in 2000, while the number of African Americans has dropped to 6 percent of the population compared to 8 percent in 2000.

According to the report:

The city's Asian population is growing steadily but the number of black residents continues to drop. San Franciscans of Latin or Hispanic origin are also increasing, although not at rates seen at state or national levels.

More locals are going to college than before:

A third of San Franciscans over 25 years old have earned a B.A. diploma and about one in five hold a graduate or professional degree. Median incomes rose, although once adjusted for inflation, are almost unchanged from 2000.

And with greater education comes a greater propensity to travel to work by bike. According to the survey, the number of people who got around by bike in 2009 doubled during the past decade, though it's still at a dismal 2 percent. Slightly fewer locals own cars, too.

According to the study:

More employed San Franciscans are taking transit to work. Commuting by car has dropped and other travel to work modes such as biking and walking are becoming more popular. Working at home is also increasing. A growing number of San Francisco households are car-free.

For the full report, check out this link.

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