What is the population of San Francisco in 2025?
San Francisco had a population of 826,079 in 2025. The city ranks as the fourth-most populous in California and 17th-most populous in the United States.
Questions about San Francisco
Short answers, pulled from the story.
When was San Francisco founded and who named it?
Spanish settlers established the Presidio of San Francisco and Mission San Francisco de Asis on the 29th of June, 1776, naming both for Francis of Assisi. The settlement was formally renamed San Francisco on the 30th of January, 1847, by Mayor Washington Allon Bartlett, who changed it from Yerba Buena.
How much damage did the 1906 San Francisco earthquake cause?
The 1906 earthquake and subsequent fires destroyed more than three-quarters of the city, including the entire downtown core. Contemporary accounts listed 498 dead, though modern estimates place the toll in the several thousands. More than half the city's population of 400,000 was left homeless.
What was Harvey Milk's significance to San Francisco?
Harvey Milk was the first openly gay man elected to public office in California, winning a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He was assassinated in 1978, along with Mayor George Moscone.
What is San Francisco's GDP and economic ranking?
In 2024, San Francisco proper had a GDP of $268 billion and a per capita GDP of $324,000. The nine-county San Francisco Bay Area reached a GDP of $1.332 trillion in 2024, exceeding the total output of all but 17 countries.
How has San Francisco addressed its homelessness crisis?
San Francisco dramatically increased homelessness spending, from a budget of $34 million one year to $275 million the following year, reaching $850 million in the proposed 2020-21 budget. By May 2026, Mayor Daniel Lurie reported that unsheltered homelessness had reached its lowest level in 15 years according to the city's latest point-in-time count.