Blog > San Francisco Neighborhoods by Their Houses: Age, Size, Lots and Stories
San Francisco Neighborhoods by Their Houses: Age, Size, Lots and Stories
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The San Francisco Assessor-Recorder’s secured roll lists the year built, living area, lot size and stories for nearly every house in the city. We took the 95,046 single-family houses on the 2025 roll (the assessor’s dwelling class, one record per parcel) with a map position and placed each in our neighborhood guide outlines. The figures come from the San Francisco Assessor-Recorder secured roll, 2025 roll year (DataSF), October 2026. There are no addresses or owner details here.
The short answer
- San Francisco’s median house was built in 1932 and has 1,510 square feet on a 2,700 sq ft lot. 59% were built before 1940, 1% in 2000 or later, and 33% are recorded with two or more stories.
- Oldest medians: Pacific Heights (1906) and Telegraph Hill & North Beach (1907). Newest: Diamond Heights (1965) and Twin Peaks & Midtown Terrace (1957).
- Very little has been rebuilt: only 1% of houses citywide carry a year built of 2000 or later; the highest shares are in Telegraph Hill & North Beach (5%) and Cow Hollow (3%).
- Largest houses: Pacific Heights (3,810 sq ft) and Presidio Heights & Laurel Heights (3,480 sq ft). Biggest lots: Ingleside Terraces & Balboa Terrace (5,700 sq ft) and St. Francis Wood & Monterey Heights (5,000 sq ft).
- Two-story share: highest in Pacific Heights (95%) and Sea Cliff & Lake District (93%); lowest in Parkside (14%) and Outer & Central Sunset (15%).
- Flood and fire zones: no house’s map point falls in a FEMA high-risk flood zone, and no house lot touches a CAL FIRE fire hazard severity zone.
Next steps in San Francisco
- What’s my San Francisco home worth? Request an estimate, and ask us for the recent sales on your street.
- See San Francisco homes for sale, then use Save Search to get new listings by email.
- Book a strategy call with a Property Nerd.
Neighborhood by neighborhood
Oldest first, by the median year built. Two houses sit inside both the Castro & Eureka Valley and Noe Valley outlines and count in both. Each name opens its guide.
| Neighborhood | Houses | Median year built | Built before 1940 | Built 2000 or later | Median size | Median lot | Two or more stories |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Heights | 1,037 | 1906 | 87% | 1% | 3,810 sq ft | 3,440 sq ft | 95% |
| Telegraph Hill & North Beach | 125 | 1907 | 82% | 5% | 1,760 sq ft | 1,570 sq ft | 64% |
| Castro & Eureka Valley | 1,445 | 1908 | 85% | 2% | 1,690 sq ft | 2,500 sq ft | 59% |
| Haight-Ashbury & Cole Valley | 1,126 | 1908 | 89% | 1% | 2,250 sq ft | 2,650 sq ft | 84% |
| Noe Valley | 2,821 | 1908 | 80% | 2% | 1,710 sq ft | 2,850 sq ft | 60% |
| Mission Dolores & Dolores Heights | 641 | 1909 | 82% | 1% | 1,850 sq ft | 2,850 sq ft | 57% |
| Cow Hollow | 475 | 1912 | 86% | 3% | 2,700 sq ft | 2,810 sq ft | 80% |
| Potrero Hill & Dogpatch | 1,229 | 1912 | 84% | 1% | 1,440 sq ft | 2,500 sq ft | 43% |
| Presidio Heights & Laurel Heights | 910 | 1913 | 83% | 1% | 3,480 sq ft | 3,770 sq ft | 84% |
| Inner Richmond & Lone Mountain | 1,516 | 1914 | 91% | under 1% | 2,060 sq ft | 3,000 sq ft | 70% |
| Sea Cliff & Lake District | 1,231 | 1914 | 90% | 1% | 2,750 sq ft | 3,000 sq ft | 93% |
| Russian Hill | 324 | 1916 | 79% | 2% | 2,420 sq ft | 2,540 sq ft | 78% |
| Bernal Heights | 4,909 | 1923 | 67% | 2% | 1,300 sq ft | 1,750 sq ft | 41% |
| Outer & Central Richmond | 4,976 | 1923 | 89% | under 1% | 1,760 sq ft | 3,000 sq ft | 41% |
| Ingleside Terraces & Balboa Terrace | 970 | 1925 | 96% | 0% | 2,160 sq ft | 5,700 sq ft | 52% |
| West Portal | 833 | 1925 | 92% | 1% | 1,930 sq ft | 3,300 sq ft | 48% |
| Excelsior & Outer Mission | 11,584 | 1927 | 67% | 1% | 1,310 sq ft | 2,500 sq ft | 19% |
| Marina | 642 | 1927 | 94% | under 1% | 2,390 sq ft | 2,720 sq ft | 61% |
| St. Francis Wood & Monterey Heights | 925 | 1927 | 76% | 1% | 2,680 sq ft | 5,000 sq ft | 81% |
| Forest Hill & Forest Hills Extension | 1,279 | 1929 | 67% | 2% | 2,120 sq ft | 3,860 sq ft | 60% |
| Glen Park | 2,162 | 1929 | 58% | 2% | 1,430 sq ft | 2,500 sq ft | 39% |
| Miraloma Park & Sunnyside | 4,986 | 1936 | 56% | under 1% | 1,400 sq ft | 2,810 sq ft | 25% |
| Inner Sunset & Golden Gate Heights | 3,354 | 1937 | 58% | under 1% | 1,760 sq ft | 3,000 sq ft | 47% |
| Outer & Central Sunset | 8,273 | 1939 | 57% | under 1% | 1,490 sq ft | 3,000 sq ft | 15% |
| Oceanview, Merced Heights & Ingleside | 5,675 | 1940 | 46% | 1% | 1,230 sq ft | 2,500 sq ft | 17% |
| Parkside | 11,353 | 1941 | 42% | under 1% | 1,430 sq ft | 3,000 sq ft | 14% |
| Twin Peaks & Midtown Terrace | 1,872 | 1957 | 8% | 1% | 1,440 sq ft | 3,300 sq ft | 33% |
| Diamond Heights | 469 | 1965 | 0% | 0% | 2,020 sq ft | 3,410 sq ft | 68% |
| All of San Francisco | 95,046 | 1932 | 59% | 1% | 1,510 sq ft | 2,700 sq ft | 33% |
The “All of San Francisco” row also counts the 17,906 houses outside the neighborhoods above.
What stands out
- Pacific Heights has the oldest houses and the biggest: a median built in 1906 and 3,810 sq ft of living area.
- Only Diamond Heights and Twin Peaks & Midtown Terrace have a median year built after 1950 (1965 and 1957); every other guide’s median is 1941 or earlier.
- Lot sizes repeat: six guides have a median lot of 3,000 sq ft and five have 2,500 sq ft. The smallest median lot is 1,570 sq ft, in Telegraph Hill & North Beach.
Reading it right
- Source. Year built, living area, lot area and stories are the San Francisco Assessor-Recorder’s fields on the 2025 secured roll, published on DataSF; a house is a parcel in the assessor’s dwelling class, placed by the roll’s map point for the parcel. Condos and multi-unit buildings are in other classes and aren’t counted.
- “Year built” is the record’s year. A house torn down and rebuilt shows the rebuild year; an older house with an addition keeps its original year.
- Assessor records lag remodels. Living area and stories can miss recent additions. Check permits for any house you’re buying.
- Flood and fire. We checked each house’s map point against FEMA’s National Flood Hazard Layer and each house against CAL FIRE’s fire hazard severity zone maps, October 2026. San Francisco also keeps its own 100-year storm flood risk map, which isn’t part of the data used here; check it for a specific address.
- A median isn’t a verdict. It describes the houses, not which neighborhood is right for you.
Go deeper
San Francisco Neighborhoods Ranked by Price per Square Foot compares the neighborhoods on price, and The Most Expensive Streets in San Francisco goes street by street. The San Francisco city guide links every neighborhood guide.
The San Francisco data series: neighborhoods ranked by price per sq ft · where homes sell over asking · condos and townhomes · house prices by bedrooms · houses under $1.5M · houses at $3.5M and up · the best month to sell · the most expensive streets · the most expensive streets from San Francisco to San Jose
Thinking about a rebuild or a second story?
A Property Nerd can pull the zoning, the lot and the recent sales on your street before you plan. Call (408) 373-1660 or (650) 383-8606, or book a strategy call. Commissions are negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what’s included.