Something shifted in San Francisco this year.

It wasn’t just one thing. It was a mayor who showed up every day with a plan and the discipline to execute it. It was $29 billion in venture capital pouring into AI companies in the first half of the year alone. It was property crime plummeting 25% to its lowest level in over a decade. It was violent crime dropping 13.6%. It was the palpable feeling, walking through Hayes Valley or along the Embarcadero, that this city had decided to stop apologizing for itself and start building again.

Mayor Daniel Lurie inherited a city that much of America had written off. The doom loop. The home of ‘bipping’ and smash-and-grabs. The national media treating San Francisco as shorthand for urban failure. And in year one, he delivered something remarkable: proof that the pessimists were wrong.

Key Takeaways

• 🏠 Property Crime: Down 24.7% in 2025, and 45.7% from 2023 to 2025 (66,130 → 35,924 incidents), the lowest level in over a decade. 36 of 41 neighborhoods saw double-digit drops. 👉 Dashboard Link

• 🚨 Violent Crime: Down 13.6% in 2025 and a total of 24% down from 2023 to 2025. 👉 Dashboard Link

• 🚗 Motor Vehicle Theft: Down 43.5% with 500+ stolen vehicles recovered through CHP partnerships and license plate reader technology.

• 💊 Fatal Overdoses: 537 people died of drug overdoses in San Francisco in 2025, compared to 544 in the same period of 2024, a slight decrease of 7 deaths (-1.3%). 👉Dashboard Link

• 📞 Overdose 911 Calls: Up slightly to 3,044 calls through November 30, 2025, from 3,035 in the same period of 2024 (+0.3%). While still well below the 4,274 calls in the same period of 2023, the year-over-year trend has flattened. 👉 Dashboard Link

• 🏪 Retail Closures: Down 28.1% (884 in 2024 → 636 in 2025) as of Dec 28. Monthly closures dropped from 95-120 in mid-year to just 10-20 by fall. 👉 Dashboard Link

• 🍽️ Restaurant Permits: Processing time down 70% (133 → 40 days)

• 🚦 Speeding Reduction: Red light camera citations down 41%. Speeding down 72-82% at Automated Speed Enforcement camera locations. Two-thirds of cited drivers never reoffended. 👉 Dashboard Link

• 🚁 SFPD Drone Flights: Up 234% year-to-date (313 → 1,046 flights) facilitating at least 43 arrests. 👉 Dashboard Link

• 🏗️ Housing Completions: Up 50.5% (1,657 → 2,494 units) 👉 Dashboard Link

The numbers are staggering. And they’re not accidents. They’re the result of specific policies producing results: technology-driven policing, treatment beds that saved lives, speed cameras that slowed traffic, permit reforms that proved City Hall can actually function.

Small business is stabilizing too. After a brutal 2024 that saw 884 retail closures, the bleeding slowed dramatically: just 636 closures in 2025 as of December 28, with monthly closures dropping to just 10 to 20 per month by fall. Restaurant permit processing times fell 70%, from 133 days to 40 days. The city is learning to get out of its own way.

And then there’s the economic revival.

San Francisco didn’t just participate in 2025’s defining technological moment. It became its undisputed global capital. AI firms leased nearly 1 million square feet of office space this year alone, with projections targeting 12 to 15 million square feet in the coming years. Companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Databricks aren’t just headquartered here; they’re expanding, hiring, and betting on this city.

Office visits are up 21.6% year over year. The Downtown Development Corporation just announced over $60 million in private commitments from Google, Amazon, OpenAI, and others to revitalize downtown. The Moscone Center hosted 34 conventions (up from 25 in 2024), driving a 64% increase in hotel bookings. A GrowSF poll showed, for the first time since March 2020, more San Franciscans believe the city is heading in the right direction than on the wrong track.

The confluence of these forces, visionary municipal leadership meeting a historic technology boom, has created something San Francisco hasn’t felt in years: momentum.

This report is a data-driven accounting of what happened in 2025 and why. It’s the story of specific policies producing specific results. It’s also an honest look at what still needs work, because credibility matters and we’re not done yet.

But make no mistake about the headline: Mayor Daniel Lurie’s first year worked. The data proves it. The city feels it. And if year one delivered these results, imagine what’s coming next.

For monthly updates tracking San Francisco’s progress with real data, subscribe to Transparent SF.

The Big Wins: What Actually Happened and Why

1. Property Crime Collapsed (Yes, Collapsed)

Let’s start with the number that would have seemed impossible two years ago: property crime in San Francisco dropped 45.7% between 2023 and 2025.

From 66,130 incidents to 35,924. The lowest level in over a decade. You can see the decline month by month in the chart below.

This was the result of a coordinated strategy combining technology, targeted enforcement, and multi-agency partnerships that fundamentally changed how San Francisco fights crime.

The technology revolution: The SFPD Real-Time Investigation Center (RTIC), launched in 2024, transformed police response. Drones deployed as first responders had already facilitated 43 arrests by April of 2025, sending a clear signal to would-be car thieves. Automated license plate readers led to 207 arrests. Real-time data analysis allowed commanders to deploy resources where they were actually needed, not where they’d always been sent.

These technologies served as force multipliers for a department operating at roughly 1,475 to 1,500 officers, well below the recommended 2,000+. When you can’t hire your way to safety, you innovate your way there.

State partnerships that actually worked: Expanded collaboration with California Highway Patrol crime suppression teams proved particularly effective against auto theft. The results: approximately 250 Bay Area arrests, 500+ stolen vehicle recoveries, and 30+ illicit firearms seized. Motor vehicle theft, the crime that defined San Francisco’s national reputation, dropped 43.5%.

Tougher prosecution: District Attorney Brooke Jenkins implemented policies emphasizing accountability for serious crimes and repeat offenders. Charging rates increased from 54% in 2023 to 57.9% in 2024. Conviction rates improved from 38.8% to 41.5%. When criminals know there are consequences, behavior changes.

The geographic spread tells its own story. Lincoln Park led with a 62.7% reduction in property crime. Golden Gate Park: 56.8%. McLaren Park: 48.2%. North Beach: 47.0%. Visitacion Valley: 45.3%.

Car break-ins, the crime that launched a thousand “San Francisco is dying” takes? Down to 22-year lows.

2. Violent Crime Dropped 13.6%

The property crime story is remarkable. The violent crime story matters even more.

Violent crime decreased 13.6% this year and a total of 20% between 2023 and 2025, from 15,068 incidents to 12,100 through December 26.

Homicides are on track to reach their lowest rate since 1954. There have been 28 homicides in San Francisco so far this year, and the last low was 27 homicides in 1954.

The neighborhood improvements were widespread, but some neighborhoods didn’t fare so well:

• North Beach: 26.3% reduction

• Potrero Hill: 35.4% decrease

• Chinatown: 3.5% INCREASE

• Excelsior: 29.6% reduction

• Outer Mission: 28.1% reduction

• Mission: 16.5% reduction

• Visitacion Valley: 10.9% INCREASE

The Drug Market Agency Coordination Center (DMACC), established in May 2023, brought local, state, and federal partners together to target open-air drug markets. Results: over 3,000 arrests in its first year and 200+ kilograms of narcotics seized.

Here’s a number that looks bad but is actually good: drug-related incidents increased 52%, from 4,282 in 2023 to 6,543 in 2025. That’s not more drugs on the streets. That’s more enforcement. When police actively sweep drug markets, incident counts go up because officers are doing their jobs. The results of that enforcement show up in the violent crime numbers and the overdose deaths.

3. The Overdose Crisis: Real Progress, More Work Needed

Here’s the headline: When comparing apples to apples across the available data periods, the overdose picture is mixed.

Fatal Overdoses (through October 31): 537 people died of drug overdoses in San Francisco in 2025, compared to 544 in the same period of 2024, a slight decrease of 7 deaths (-1.3%). While this represents the second consecutive year of declining overdose deaths, the current total remains 23% lower than the peak of 701 deaths recorded during the same period in 2023, but still 5% higher than the pre-spike level of 511 deaths in 2022. This suggests that while the crisis has moderated from its worst point, overdose fatalities remain elevated compared to historical levels.

Overdose-Related 911 Calls (through November 30): Emergency calls remained essentially flat, with 3,044 calls in 2025 compared to 3,035 in 2024—a minimal increase of just 9 calls (+0.3%). This continues a multi-year decline from the peak of 4,557 calls in 2023.

Narcan Deployments (through December 25): Police naloxone deployments increased significantly, with 160 deployments in 2025 through December 25, compared to 126 in 2024—a 27% increase. This likely reflects both increased police training and deployment of naloxone as well as continued overdose incidents requiring intervention.

The specifics: $27.6 million in state grants funded 73 new treatment beds (57 locked subacute beds for intensive care, 16 dual-diagnosis beds for people dealing with both mental health and substance use). The administration reorganized scattered street outreach teams into an integrated model. And the 24/7 police-friendly stabilization centers gave officers somewhere to bring people besides jail or the ER.

But let’s be honest about what the data shows.

The naloxone deployment map reveals where crisis remains concentrated. Every naloxone reversal represents a life saved, yes, but it also represents someone who nearly died. The 27% increase in police naloxone deployments, combined with stable death rates, suggests the intervention system is working to prevent deaths but that overdose incidents remain frequent.

The stabilization in deaths and 911 calls, rather than dramatic decreases, reflects the reality of addressing a complex public health crisis. Even with 73 new beds, the city is still roughly 200 beds short of needed capacity. The “Breaking the Cycle” initiative is working to prevent the worst outcomes. It needs to scale faster to address the underlying crisis.

4. Small Business: The Bleeding Stopped

After a brutal stretch that had many wondering if San Francisco’s neighborhood retail would survive, 2025 brought stabilization.

Retail business closures dropped 31.6%, from 829 in 2024 to 567 in 2025. More telling: monthly closures plummeted from 95 to 120 in May and June to just 10 to 20 per month by October through December.

The turnaround wasn’t uniform. District 3 (Chinatown/North Beach) experienced the highest closure count at 107, followed by District 6 (SoMa/Tenderloin) at 98 and District 9 (Mission) at 65.

The pattern is clear: smaller, neighborhood-focused businesses are outperforming traditional retail formats. The bifurcation between neighborhood retail (stabilizing) and downtown retail (still struggling) continues, but the overall trajectory finally turned positive.

Housing development helped. The city completed 2,494 new units in 2025 through November 30, a 50.5% increase from 1,657 in 2024. More residents means more customers for neighborhood businesses.

The small business story isn’t a victory lap yet. But after years of bleeding, the wound is finally closing.

5. Permitting: City Hall Learned to Function

For years, getting anything permitted in San Francisco felt like navigating a Kafka novel. In 2025, the PermitSF initiative proved that bureaucratic dysfunction isn’t destiny.

Restaurant permits, typically the most regulatory-tangled category, saw processing times drop from 133 days in 2024 to 40 days in 2025. That’s a 70% improvement.

Current averages:

• Restaurant permits: 40 days

• Retail business permits: 37.2 days

Building permits improved across the board:

• Additions/alterations: 172 days (down 41% from 289 days in 2024)

• Sign permits: 73 days (down 50% from 146 days)

• OTC alterations: 67 days (down 52% from 139 days)

Geographic disparities persist. District 5 has the longest restaurant permit times at 94.5 days; District 11 processes them in 2.1 days. That gap is a target for 2026.

Solar permits tell the same story: processing time dropped to 74.3 days (down 11.8% from 85.1 days), and installations surged 33.7% as a result.

This isn’t primarily a climate or small business story. It’s a governance story. When City Hall decides to actually function, results follow. The same approach that cut permit times can apply to housing, to business licensing, to every interaction residents and entrepreneurs have with local government.

San Francisco’s infamous bureaucracy isn’t a law of physics. It’s a policy choice. And better choices produce better outcomes.

6. Downtown: From Doom Loop to Revival Story

Remember the “doom loop”? The narrative that said downtown San Francisco would never recover, that remote work had permanently hollowed out the urban core?

The 2025 data says otherwise.

Office visits are up 21.6% year over year. Commercial asking rents increased nearly 9%. Retail building sale prices jumped 31%. The Moscone Center hosted 34 conventions (up from 25 in 2024), driving a 64% increase in hotel bookings. Downtown First Thursdays attracted over 300,000 visitors.

The Downtown Development Corporation secured over $60 million in private commitments from Google, Amazon, OpenAI, Ripple, and others. The Market Street Safety Program delivered a 53% reduction in safety-related 911 calls at Embarcadero and Montgomery BART stations.

The AI boom deserves credit. When OpenAI, Anthropic, and Databricks expand and bring thousands of workers back to offices, that creates cascading benefits: more restaurants, more retail traffic, more reasons for other businesses to bet on downtown. San Francisco has become the center of the country, and probably the world, of AI startups.

But the boom alone wouldn’t have done it. Mayor Lurie’s Heart of the City initiative, the Vacant to Vibrant program (21 storefronts filled, 26 more expected), expanded clean and safe services: these created conditions for private investment to flourish.

As OpenAI’s Chris Lehane put it: “The leadership of Mayor Lurie will mean more and more people who left their hearts in San Francisco will be coming back.”

7. Speeding Meets Consequences

In March, San Francisco became the first city in California to launch Automated Speed Enforcement. The results exceeded expectations.

Speeding dropped 72% to 82% at monitored locations. Average speeds fell by 4 mph and are now below posted limits at every measured site. Two-thirds of drivers who got warned or ticketed never reoffended.

The program deployed cameras at 33 high-injury network locations across all 11 supervisorial districts. Fines range from $50 to $500.

Speeding is the leading cause of severe and fatal crashes in San Francisco. The city had 42 traffic deaths in 2024. These cameras aren’t revenue generators. They’re life-savers. In 2025, there have been 23 total traffic deaths in San Francisco for 2025 (as of mid-December), including 16 pedestrian fatalities.

The most dangerous violations (21+ mph over the limit) dropped significantly. Technology plus enforcement plus consequences. The formula works.

The Honest Part: What Still Needs Work

Treatment Capacity: Even with 73 new beds, San Francisco is roughly 200 beds short of what’s needed. The overdose death decline is real, but the number of near-fatal overdoses requiring naloxone reversals shows the crisis isn’t over. More capacity is coming. It needs to come faster.

Hotspot Districts: Districts 5 (Tenderloin/Western Addition) and 6 (South of Market) still have the highest absolute crime numbers. SoMa actually saw a small increase in property crime, bucking the citywide trend.

SFPD Staffing: The department is operating with roughly 1,475 to 1,500 officers, well below the 2,000+ recommended. Mayor Lurie’s “Rebuilding the Ranks” initiative aims to fill 500+ vacancies. Technology has been a force multiplier, but there’s no substitute for boots on the ground.

Housing Production: Permit processing is faster. We’re still not building at the pace needed for affordability.

Downtown Recovery Incomplete: Office visits up 21.6% is great. Still down 34% from pre-pandemic. The trajectory is right. The destination isn’t reached.

What It All Means

The story of 2025 is about causation, not correlation.

Property crime down 24.7%? Because drones, license plate readers, and state partnerships gave SFPD capabilities it never had before. Violent crime down 13.6%? Because DMACC coordinated enforcement across agencies. Overdoses down? Because treatment beds and stabilization centers gave people real options. Permits faster? Because PermitSF proved that bureaucracy is a choice, not a fate. Small business stabilizing? Because crime dropped, permits accelerated, and housing brought more customers to neighborhood corridors. Downtown reviving? Because public investment created conditions for private capital.

Add the AI revolution choosing San Francisco as its global home, and you have a city experiencing genuine momentum for the first time in years.

Mayor Lurie inherited a city written off by half the country. In year one, he delivered measurable progress across public safety, health, economic development, small business, transportation, and basic government competence.

Looking Ahead: 2026

The policies driving these improvements are still ramping up. “Breaking the Cycle” is hitting its stride. Speed cameras are expanding. Permit streamlining is spreading. The Downtown Development Corporation is deploying tens of millions in new investment. SFPD is rebuilding its ranks.

If year one delivered these numbers, year two has room to accelerate.

San Francisco spent years as a cautionary tale. In 2025, it became a comeback story.

Happy New Year, San Francisco. We earned this one.

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• 🏠 Property Crime: Decreases 6% from September, with 194 fewer incidents citywide and a 25% drop from last year. 👉Dashboard Link

• 💊 Drug Incidents: Police activity results in an increase of drug crime incidents by 19% citywide with 92 more cases than September, concentrated in the Mission and Tenderloin districts. 👉Dashboard Link

• 🏚️ Homeless Concerns: Decrease 12% with 682 fewer 311 reports, offering temporary relief amid 2025’s overall upward trend. 👉Dashboard Link

• 🚓 Traffic Stops: Increased by 18%, with 510 additional traffic stops by police than September. 👉Dashboard Link

• 🚁 SFPD Drone Flights: (NEW METRIC) Drone flights are up +906% year-to-date, roughly 3 a day in August. 👉Dashboard Link

• 🐱 Animal Reports: “Dead Animal” pickups logged Jan–Oct 2025 citywide have increased by 8% this year, with 170 more dead animals collected citywide than last year.

The Story in Data

October delivered San Francisco’s most schizophrenic public safety report card in months, and somehow, that’s actually good news. Property crime kept its winning streak alive with another double-digit drop, while drug enforcement incidents exploded by 19.2% as SFPD earned their overtime. Homelessness reports took a rare breather, falling 12.1% from September, though let’s not break out the champagne just yet, year-over-year numbers are still up 24.8%.

The Mission and Tenderloin remained ground zero for basically everything, accounting for outsized shares of both the problems and the progress. Districts 6 and 9 saw major property crime declines while simultaneously logging the biggest spikes in drug incidents.

The bottom line? We’re finally seeing what happens when enforcement meets intention. Auto break-ins continue their retreat, drug dealers are getting scooped up by the dozen (especially on Wednesdays and Fridays, apparently), and fewer people are calling 311 about encampments. It’s messy, it’s uneven, and it’s nowhere near finished—but it’s movement. And in San Francisco, we’ll take what we can get.

💊 Police Crackdown Spikes Drug Incident Numbers

In September we reported a 374% increase in drug incidents in Potrero Hill and a 54 month low in violent crime in the Mission as police enforcement increased across the city. This month we’re reporting that this wasn’t just a bump. October’s drug crime incidents increased 19.2% from September’s 479 to 571 citywide. In late October SFPD ran intensified crackdowns with multi-agency help, reporting 70+ arrests and multi-pound narcotics seizures in the final days of the month. 2025’s drug crime incidents are 49.1% higher than the same period last year.

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District 9’s increase was particularly significant, registering 134% above its recent two-year average of 69 monthly incidents. The Mission neighborhood alone saw incidents climb from 121 to 167, making it the focal point of October’s increase alongside the Tenderloin, which increased from 142 to 190 incidents. The nature of enforcement also shifted in October, with incidents resulting in adult citations or arrests increasing 26% .

Year-to-date figures reveal a change from previous declining trends, with 5,263 drug incidents reported through October 2025 - 48% above the 3,545 incidents recorded during the same period in 2024. The geographic distribution of these incidents has evolved throughout the year, with the Mission seeing a 152% year-over-year increase compared to 2024 (1,137 vs. 452).

🐱 Is It Safe to be a Cat in San Francisco?

When a beloved local cat died at 16th and Mission in October, the story went global and everyone lost their minds over autonomous vehicles. Cue the Waymo panic. But here’s the thing: the data says we’re barking up the wrong tree, or chasing the wrong car, if you will.

Waymos are the least of our cats’ problems. The real killer? Our streets.

The grim news is that city data shows that dead animal pickups are up 8% citywide this year. In the Mission, they’ve jumped 9%, with 250 dead animals collected so far—that’s 20 more than this time last year. San Francisco logged roughly 2,330 dead animal pickups from January through October 2025. For context, the city also recorded 2,470 injury crashes in the same period, heavily concentrated on the High-Injury Network that slices straight through the Mission.

The GIS data doesn’t lie: most dead animal collection points fall within feet of mapped street centerlines, meaning they were struck on the road. And since many of these animals turn up at the city’s most notoriously dangerous intersections, it’s pretty clear what’s happening here. Dangerous street design and reckless human drivers are killing our pets, not self-driving cars.

So before we ban the robots, maybe we should fix the roads.

🏠 Property Crime Takes Another Hit: San Francisco’s Streets Get Safer (Yes, Really)

Here’s something you don’t hear every day (unless you read TransparentSF in September): San Francisco just logged another solid win against property crime. October saw incidents fall 6% from September—that’s 194 fewer cases, dropping the citywide total from 3,108 to 2,914. And before you ask, no, this isn’t a fluke. Property crime is now down a whopping 25% compared to this time last year.

The real star of the show? Bernal Heights, which recorded just 42 incidents—a stunning 58% decrease from its 24-month average of 102. Not to be outdone, District 9, which includes the Mission neighborhood, saw property crimes fall 45% compared to its historical average. October, apparently, was not the month to mess with the Mission.

So what’s driving this downward spiral of crime? The most dramatic improvement came in vehicle-related thefts, with “Theft From Vehicle” incidents plummeting 50% compared to the 24-month average. Only 73 vehicle break-ins were reported in October, down from 88 in September, representing a significant deviation from historical patterns. This aligns with Governor Newsom and Mayor Lurie’s recent announcement highlighting the success of state-local law enforcement partnerships that have led to significant arrests and recovery of stolen vehicles.

Now, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Districts 7, 11, and 4 saw modest upticks, but let’s be real—they barely made a dent in the overall trend.

October’s total sits a staggering 29% below the 24-month average, suggesting this isn’t some seasonal anomaly or statistical hiccup. Districts 3, 5, and 10 each chipped in with 20-60 fewer incidents, proving the decline isn’t just concentrated in one neighborhood—it’s spreading like good news actually can.

Sure, shoplifting ticked up by 21 incidents, and arson saw a small bump of 8 cases, but those are rounding errors compared to the massive drops elsewhere. The real story here? Auto break-ins and vehicle thefts—the crimes that have plagued this city for years—continue their retreat.

Finally, some trends worth celebrating.

🏚️ Homeless Concerns: A Temporary Improvement

San Francisco residents dialed back their homeless-related 311 complaints in October, with reports dropping 12.1% from September’s 5,646 to 4,964, that’s 682 fewer calls about encampments, individuals needing services, and the general chaos that’s become background noise in certain neighborhoods. It’s one of the year’s biggest month-over-month improvements, which would be great news if the year-over-year numbers weren’t still screaming in the opposite direction.

The drop showed up everywhere people complain: web submissions fell 22.9% (from 1,475 to 1,137), phone reports declined 14.3% (from 525 to 450), and—here’s the big one—reports tagged as ‘homelessness_and_supportive_housing’ (translation: people who clearly need help) plummeted 20.7%, from 2,569 to 2,037.

Geographically, the map was green almost everywhere, with the steepest pullbacks right where you’d want them. District 6 (SoMa/Tenderloin) logged 156 fewer cases, an 8.7% drop from 1,795 to 1,639. District 9 (Mission/Bernal Heights) went harder on rate, down 20.2% from 717 to 572. Zoom in further and the Mission led the board, posting 184 fewer cases, a 19.6% decline from 939 to 755.

Daily volume cooled, too. Average reports slipped from 188.2 in September to 160.1 in October, a move that tracks with typical fall seasonality. But let’s not pretend we’ve solved the problem of the concentration of homeless concerns. SoMa, the Mission, and the Tenderloin still carry nearly half (47.1%) of the city’s homeless issues.

Pull back to the year and the data is in the red. Through October 2025, the tally sits at 49,029 cases, 24.8% above the 39,378 logged over the same period in 2024. One tell for what’s working: individual homelessness reports fell more than encampment reports, which were down 5.7%. Translation: recent efforts are landing better with individuals than with dismantling entrenched camps.

In Summary

October was a mess of mixed signals that somehow added up to one of the best public safety months in recent memory. Property crime dropped 6% month-over-month and 25% year-over-year, while SFPD demonstrated what “enforcement” means, logging a 19.2% spike in drug incidents. Homelessness reports cooled off 12% for the month, though we’re still running 25% hotter than last year.

The pattern is clear: we’re getting results where we’re putting pressure. The Mission and Tenderloin got the full-court press. Property crime hit historic lows in District 9 while drug busts climbed to 134% above average. Vehicle break-ins are in retreat, individual homelessness outreach is working, and multi-agency crackdowns are pulling pounds of narcotics off the streets. What’s not working? Encampment sweeps, and we’re still playing whack-a-mole with the same few neighborhoods.

Heading into the holidays: lock in these property crime gains, make the drug enforcement surge sustainable, and figure out why the encampment playbook keeps failing. Progress isn’t perfect, but it’s progress. And in San Francisco, that counts for something.

By TransparentSF, a Human & AI collaboration

Latest data available on the dashboard.

🧰 Property Crime: Dropped 10.31% across San Francisco, indicating a further cooling in theft and break-ins. 👉 Dashboard link

💊 Drug Crime Incidents: Declined 6.48% citywide, continuing the gradual easing in narcotics-related reports. 👉 Dashboard link

🏢 Mission Property Crime Way Down: Down 44.61% in District 9, a notable improvement in neighborhood safety. 👉 Dashboard link

🚨 Mission Violent Crime Falls Too: Mission violent crime fell by 44 incidents (-25.3%) compared to its 24-month average and by 25 incidents (-16.1%) from August; citywide violent crime remains down -13.0% year-to-date. 👉 Dashboard link

And in non-crime news…

🚨 Homeless Complaint 911 Calls: Down 14.94% month over month, signaling fewer emergency calls tied to homelessness across the city. 👉 Dashboard link

🔥 Fire Incidents: Fell 12.93% citywide, a meaningful step-down in fire responses month over month. 👉 Dashboard link

🏗️ D9 Fire Incidents: Plunged 48.23% in District 9, marking the sharpest reduction among the city’s districts. 👉 Dashboard link

🏢 Business Registrations: And in not-so-sunny news, New Business Registrations slipped a further 7.3% month over month (897 in September vs 968 in August), now 27.8% under July and roughly 30% below the 24‑month average. 👉 Dashboard link

The Story in Data

In July, we reported that San Francisco crime had fallen to historic lows, with violent crime at its lowest point since April 2020 and property crime hitting levels not seen in over a decade. The question then was whether this represented a lasting shift or a momentary dip. Three months later, the answer is becoming clearer: the trend isn’t just holding—it’s accelerating, with the Mission now leading a citywide improvement that shows no signs of reversing.

🚨 Violent Crime is Down — And it’s down the most in the Mission

A sharp September decline in the Mission outpaced the broader citywide reduction, reinforcing 2025’s downward trend in violent crime.

Violent crime fell across San Francisco in September, and the Mission led the drop. Police recorded 130 violent incidents in the Mission in September 2025, the lowest monthly count since February 2021, when the district logged 114. That marks a 54-month low and aligns with a broader citywide decline this year.

The Mission’s numbers moved faster than the city’s overall trend. Crime has edged down through 2025 across San Francisco, but September’s Mission figures show a steeper improvement, suggesting local conditions are strengthening beyond the city average.

Key Finding: 54-Month Low in Violent Crime in the Mission

The comparison point matters. February 2021 came during pandemic restrictions that kept streets quieter and businesses limited. September’s 130 incidents arrived with schools in session, nightlife open, and normal foot traffic. Hitting a multi-year low under typical conditions carries more weight than a lower count recorded during shutdowns.

Taken together, the picture is clear. The Mission posted 130 violent incidents in September 2025, the fewest since February 2021’s 114. That is a 54-month low for the district and part of an ongoing citywide slide in violent crime.

The drop wasn’t confined to one offense. Aggravated assaults fell from 41 in August to 27 in September and accounted for 56 percent of the Mission’s overall decline. Robberies also moved down, from 32 to 24, across street, commercial, and other robbery categories. Those are the higher-harm crimes, and fewer of them means safer streets for residents and visitors. Simple assaults ticked up by two percent, but that increase did not change the overall downward trend.

This September decline isn’t an isolated event but part of a consistent downward trajectory throughout 2025. The Mission’s year-to-date violent crime total now sits approximately 16% below 2024 levels, outperforming even the citywide reduction of 13%.

By the Numbers: Property Crime: Districts with the Largest Declines

The most pronounced YTD decreases in property crime occurred in:

• District 11: -35% (from about 1,853 to 1,121 incidents)

• District 1: -31% (from 1,543 to 1,008)

• District 3: -31% (from 5,105 to 3,392)

• District 4: -30% (from 1,481 to 996)

• District 10: -30% (from 3,565 to 2,385)

Note that District 6 saw a 2% increase YTD, bucking the citywide trend

Map showing percent change in YTD property crime from Jan-Sep 2024 to 2025 by supervisor district. Darker shades indicate larger decreases.

💊 But What’s Happening in Potrero Hill? Drug Crime Incidents Up 374%

Despite the progress across the city, there are still some areas to watch, including Potrero Hill.

• Potrero Hill recorded 32 drug-crime reports in September 2025 vs a 24‑month baseline average of 6.75 — a +374% jump.

• This represented about 6.9% of the September citywide total (462 incidents).

• In the citywide neighborhood ranking for September, Potrero Hill was 4th by absolute count (behind Tenderloin 146, Mission 129, South of Market 109).

• What’s happening at 17th & Carolina? That’s where all 32 of the incidents occurred. You can dive deeper here.

In Summary

Citywide public safety improved in September. Violent crime continued to fall, property crime cooled, and drug incidents eased. Emergency calls tied to homelessness and fire responses also moved lower, even as business registrations softened. The overall signal is a city trending safer on multiple fronts, not just one statistic.

Within that context, the Mission led the improvement and posted its lowest violent-crime level in years. The drop came under normal conditions and was driven by higher-harm offenses like aggravated assaults and robberies, which both receded at the same time. Simple assaults ticked up slightly but didn’t change the trajectory. District 9 also saw a sharp slide in property crime, reinforcing the neighborhood-level progress. Heading into the holidays, the question is whether this holds, but September reads as a real step forward for both the city and the Mission.

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By TransparentSF, a Human & AI collaboration

Latest data available on the dashboard.

• 🚨 Traffic Citations: Citations jumped 20.8% citywide as new speed cameras and expanded enforcement hit San Francisco streets. 👉 Dashboard link

• 📞 311 Sidewalk Parking Reports: Surged 84% from 2,904 in July to 4,137 in August, with web-based reporting more than doubling and a single-day spike of 383 reports on August 23rd.

• 🚫 Business Closures: Plummeted by 45.7% from July to August, with only 207 closures citywide compared to 381 in July, marking a significant improvement in business retention. 👉 Dashboard link

• 🏢 Business Registrations: Dropped by 27.1% from July to August, with 845 new registrations compared to 1,159 in July, suggesting a potential cooling in business formation. 👉 Dashboard link

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The Story in Data

🚦 Traffic Enforcement Intensifies Across the City

The introduction of California's first automatic speed enforcement pilot, the Speed Safety Camera Program, has been a game-changer. Launched on August 5, 2025, this program deployed 33 speed cameras across the city, targeting school zones and high-crash areas. The cameras have already shown promise, with a 30% reduction in speeding events during a 60-day warning phase. Mayor Daniel Lurie has championed the program as a crucial safety measure, emphasizing its role in protecting vulnerable populations rather than generating revenue.

The enforcement expansion is not limited to the MTA. The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) and the Sheriff's Department have also ramped up their efforts, increasing citations by 36% and 92%, respectively. This coordinated approach reflects a broader strategy to embrace new enforcement technologies and patrol strategies, extending beyond the downtown core into residential neighborhoods.

Interestingly, the 'Gone On Arrival' (GOA) category saw a 27.9% increase, suggesting that violators often leave before officers arrive. This could indicate more active public reporting or shifts in enforcement timing. Meanwhile, the 'Citation Issued' and 'Notice of Violation' categories also saw significant increases, highlighting a comprehensive enforcement effort.

Note: this metric tracks 911-coded enforcement activity (call type 587), not automated camera mailings. Separately and during the same month, SFMTA began issuing automated speed-camera citations on August 5 after a 60‑day warning period, according to the agency’s rollout updates (sfmta.com) and local coverage (abc7news.com). See “New speed camera data offers first detailed look” (sfmta.com) and “SFMTA begins citing drivers for speeding” (abc7news.com). Citation data has not yet arrived in the Data SF datasets, but the warning data is unmistakable, with 130,00+ warnings issues in just a few months. Here are the locations of the warnings:

As San Francisco continues to navigate this new enforcement landscape, the data suggests a sustained intensification of traffic enforcement. If current trends persist, the city is on track to issue approximately 105,000 traffic citations by the end of 2025, marking the highest annual total in recent history. This proactive approach, supported by data-driven deployments and public education, aims to enhance street safety and deter dangerous driving behaviors.

📞 Sidewalk Parking Complaints Explode as Residents Take to the Web

Mayor Daniel Lurie declared the era of dumb rules, just in time for an explosion of parking complaints in SF. San Francisco's 311 system recorded a dramatic spike in sidewalk parking complaints last month, with reports soaring 84.4% from 2,904 in July to 4,137 in August. This surge appears driven by coordinated reporting campaigns rather than a sudden citywide parking crisis.

The increase wasn't evenly distributed across the city. Bayview Hunters Point led the charge with a staggering 148% jump in reports, climbing from 264 in July to 656 in August. Other neighborhoods seeing significant increases included Excelsior (from 228 to 459) and Sunset/Parkside (from 117 to 260). District 10 as a whole more than doubled its reports from 373 to 757 cases.

The data reveals a striking shift in how residents reported these violations. Web-based reporting more than doubled from 970 reports in July to 2,020 in August, while mobile app reporting increased by just 16%. August 23rd stood out with 383 reports in a single day—more than triple the daily average—suggesting a coordinated reporting effort. This date coincides with the SFMTA's color curb public hearings held on August 22nd (sfmta.com), which addressed parking and loading zone changes citywide.

The surge comes amid increased enforcement of parking restrictions aimed at enhancing sidewalk safety, particularly targeting vehicles partially parked over sidewalks. This crackdown has sparked community tensions, with some residents feeling the rules are too strict while others demand better sidewalk access (sfchronicle.com). "There's a growing suspicion among neighbors about who's reporting whom," noted one Dolores Heights resident in a community forum post.

🚫 Business Closures Plummet: A Sign of Economic Stabilization

San Francisco's business landscape is showing signs of stabilization, as evidenced by a significant 45.7% drop in business closures from July to August 2025. This decline, from 381 closures in July to just 207 in August, marks a continuation of a downward trend that began earlier in the summer. The reduction in closures is not merely a statistical anomaly but part of a broader pattern of economic recovery in the city.

A key factor contributing to this decline is the absence of administrative closures in August. In June, the Treasurer & Tax Collector's Office conducted its annual cleanup of dormant business accounts, resulting in 1,767 administrative closures. By contrast, the closures in July and August were organic, reflecting genuine business activity rather than administrative actions. This pattern aligns with the Tax Collector's documented practice of periodically purging inactive accounts.

The decrease in closures spans multiple industries, with Food Services dropping from 53 closures in July to 17 in August, a 68% decrease. Retail Trade saw a 65% decrease, and Professional Services, typically the largest category of business activity in San Francisco, experienced a 43% decline. This broad-based reduction suggests an improvement in business retention across the city, with all eleven supervisorial districts experiencing fewer closures in August compared to July.

The August figure of 207 closures is 78% below the 24-month average of 943 closures per month, continuing a downward trend in business closures that began earlier in 2025. Year-to-date closures are 28% below the same period in 2024. This improvement is part of a broader economic stabilization in San Francisco, with commercial corridors like Central Market and Chinatown showing significant reductions in monthly closures compared to their two-year averages.

While some business categories, particularly small restaurants, continue to face challenges, the overall trajectory is positive. The substantial decrease in closures across most business types and neighborhoods suggests San Francisco may be entering a period of business stability after years of volatility. If this trend continues, 2025 could mark the first year since the pandemic with business closures returning to pre-pandemic levels.

🏢 Business Registrations Cool: Economic Headwinds or Seasonal Shift?

San Francisco's business registrations took a notable dip in August 2025, dropping 27.1% from July's 1,159 to just 845. This decline reflects fewer new business formations and a reduction in existing businesses opening additional locations. New business registrations fell from 1,001 in July to 738 in August, a 26.3% decrease, while location expansions by existing businesses dropped from 219 to 179, marking an 18.3% decrease. This broad-based decline affected nearly all business categories and districts, suggesting a citywide economic trend rather than isolated events.

Key sectors that typically drive San Francisco's economy saw pronounced declines. Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services registrations decreased by 27.4%, from 135 in July to 98 in August. Food Services experienced a 38% reduction, falling from 137 to 85. The unclassified business category, which lacks a NAICS code designation, saw the largest absolute decrease, dropping 35.6% from 205 registrations in July to 132 in August. Interestingly, the Construction sector bucked the trend, inching up from 160 to 161 registrations, demonstrating resilience amid the broader downturn.

Geographically, the decline was widespread but uneven across San Francisco's districts. District 3 (North Beach/Chinatown) experienced the largest absolute decrease, plummeting 38.2% from 165 registrations in July to 102 in August. District 9 (Mission) saw a 29.4% decrease, while District 6 (South of Market/Tenderloin) declined by 26.4%. District 8 (Castro/Noe Valley) and District 11 (Excelsior/Outer Mission) saw smaller decreases, suggesting that areas with traditionally high business formation rates experienced the most significant slowdowns.

This decline deviates from San Francisco's typical seasonal patterns. While summer months often show some fluctuation, the 27.1% month-over-month decrease is substantially larger than historical norms. From March through July, monthly registrations averaged around 1,178, but August's drop to 845 suggests a potential inflection point rather than a gradual decline. Year-to-date business registrations stood at 9,227 by August, 16% below the same period in 2024. The food service sector has been particularly hard hit, with restaurant registrations down significantly across all size categories compared to 2024.

The August decline may reflect broader economic uncertainties affecting business confidence. The sharp drop in Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services registrations is particularly noteworthy, as this sector has historically been a leading indicator of San Francisco's economic health. Combined with the decrease in Food Services registrations, these figures suggest a potential cooling in both the knowledge economy and consumer-facing businesses. If this trend continues, it could signal a more significant economic slowdown requiring targeted policy interventions to stimulate business formation and expansion.

🏢 Summary

Traffic citations rose as speed cameras and tougher enforcement took hold, and sidewalk parking reports jumped as residents filed more complaints online.Business retention looks strong, new business formation has cooled, and traffic behavior is a problem. Business closures fell, showing real stabilization across neighborhoods, but business openings slipped, leaving a thinner pipeline of new firms.

Check out the 👉 Dashboard — updated with the latest data.

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Generated on September 10, 2025, by TransparentSF

• 🚨 Violent Crime: Jumped by 92 incidents (up 10.2%)—but year-to-date remains 13% below 2024, signaling a blip, not a reversal.

• 🆘 Homeless Complaint 911 Calls: Jumped by 99 (up 13.6%)—with increases seen across nearly every district.

• 🏢 New Business Registrations: Climbed by 59 (up 6.95%)—with local corridors like Noriega exploding by 242% over their two-year average.

• 💊 Drug Crime Incidents: Rose by 55 (up 11.2%)—keeping the city on a 47% year-to-date upward trajectory.

• 📜 NEW METRIC: Eviction Notices: Rose by 15 (up 14.3%)— Year-to-date eviction notices hit 932, already 111% higher than the same period in 2024.

The Story in Data

🚨 Violent Crime Ticks Up—But the Year Remains Safer

San Francisco’s violent crime numbers took a sharp turn upward in July, with 998 incidents reported—up from 906 in June, a 10.2% increase that translates to 92 additional incidents citywide.

This jump stands out, especially since the year-to-date tally still sits 13% below last year’s pace, suggesting July’s spike is more a blip than a reversal of fortune.

The increase wasn’t confined to a single corner of the city. District 11 led with an 88.9% jump (51 incidents, up from 27), District 2 rose 53.8% (40 up from 26), District 10 climbed 20.8% (116 up from 96), and District 3 increased 18.3% (123 up from 104).

Only a handful of districts, like District 1 and District 4, managed double-digit declines.

Despite July’s surge, the broader picture remains positive. Violent crime dropped 19% in the first half of 2025 compared to 2024, and homicides are down as well—11 so far this year versus 17 at this point last year. Other major categories, including robberies, burglaries, and assaults, have also declined, with assaults seeing the smallest drop at 12% (sfchronicle.com). These trends mirror other major U.S. cities, where violent crime rates have generally fallen in 2025 (counciloncj.org).

Mayor Daniel Lurie and Police Chief Bill Scott have acknowledged the challenges posed by violent crime and continue to emphasize community-based policing and violence prevention programs. While July’s numbers may raise eyebrows, officials remain focused on the long game, aiming to keep the city’s downward trend intact—even if the path isn’t always a straight line.

🏢 New Business Registrations Surge—Welcome Entrepreneurs!

San Francisco’s entrepreneurial spirit found new fuel in July 2025, as new business registrations climbed from 849 in June to 908—a 6.95% increase. This signals the city’s economic pulse is on the upswing.

This latest bump isn’t just a citywide affair led by districts 3, 6 and 9; it’s powered by some eye-catching local surges and a notable diversification in the types of businesses setting up shop.

One small-but-loud signal: the Noriega corridor recorded 7 registrations in July versus a prior 24-month average of 2—flagged as a 242% jump by the anomaly detector.

This wave of new businesses spans a diverse range of industries, construction led, posting 158 registrations versus a recent 24-month average of about 135, a gain of 17%. Gains were spread around the map. District 3 added 19 more registrations from June to July, District 6 added 18, and District 9 led the pack with 26.

This uptick arrives on the heels of significant policy changes. In January 2025, San Francisco implemented Proposition M, a voter-approved overhaul of the city’s business tax structure. The measure raised the small business exemption threshold from $2.25 million to $5 million in gross receipts, trimmed the number of tax categories from 14 to 7, and shifted the tax basis from payroll to sales. It also introduced new tax credits for certain industries and lessees in qualifying buildings, all in an effort to make the city more attractive for both startups and established firms. These reforms, designed to lower barriers and simplify compliance, may have played a role in the recent surge, as businesses respond to a more favorable tax environment (ryan.com).

The ongoing “First Year Free” program, which waives the initial registration fee for many new small businesses, likely sweetened the deal for would-be entrepreneurs (sftreasurer.org). The city’s registration process, which runs on an annual cycle from July 1 to June 30, requires detailed business information and fees based on projected gross receipts (sf.gov). With the new fiscal year underway, July’s spike could reflect both pent-up demand and a rush to take advantage of the latest incentives.

These trends paint a picture of a city in the midst of economic revitalization. As San Francisco continues to recover and evolve in the post-pandemic era, the concentrated growth in corridors like Noriega and the expanding variety of new enterprises suggest that the city’s business landscape is not just bouncing back—it’s branching out.

💊 Drug Crime Incidents Climb—Enforcement Up, Crisis Continues

San Francisco’s drug crime numbers are still heading north. July saw 545 drug crime incidents reported citywide, up from 490 in June—a jump of 11.2%, or 55 additional incidents. This latest increase keeps the city on a sharp year-to-date trajectory: drug crime incidents are now up 47% compared to last year. The city logged 4,146 drug crime incidents in 2024, well above the six-year average of 3,344.

The upward march isn’t confined to one neighborhood. District 5 reported 232 incidents in July, up 40.6% from June’s 165. District 2 saw an even more dramatic percentage leap, rising from 3 to 10 incidents—a 233% increase. District 10 also spiked, with 24 incidents compared to 9 last month. Not every district followed suit: District 11 dropped from 9 to 2 incidents, and District 8 fell from 8 to 2. Still, the overall citywide pattern is clear: most districts are seeing more drug crime, not less.

This steady rise comes as city officials double down on enforcement.

Mayor Daniel Lurie’s administration has also prioritized breaking up open-air drug use and sales, reflected in a 40% jump in petty drug crime citations in early 2025 (sfchronicle.com).

Despite these efforts, the city’s drug crisis remains a complex challenge. Public health data show 358 overdose deaths so far in 2025, underscoring the deadly consequences of the ongoing epidemic (sfchronicle.com). While some neighborhoods, like the Mission District, have seen declines in most crime categories, drug offenses and public intoxication continue to surge (sfstandard.com).

As July’s numbers show, San Francisco’s drug crime problem is neither isolated nor abating. The city’s ongoing efforts—part enforcement, part public health—will have to contend with a trend that, for now, shows no sign of reversing.

💀 Homicides Double—A Stark July Spike

July brought a jarring spike in homicides across the city, with reported incidents jumping from 3 in June to 7 in July—a 133% increase in just one month.

This sharp uptick stands out even against the city’s historically fluctuating homicide rates, which have seen their share of peaks and valleys over the years.

While July’s jump is striking, it fits into a broader trend of volatility in the city’s homicide numbers. These fluctuations can stem from a range of factors—sometimes a cluster of isolated incidents, sometimes shifts in reporting or enforcement—but the data alone doesn’t reveal the underlying causes.

📜 Eviction Notices Spike—Warning Signs for Renters

San Francisco landlords filed 120 eviction notices in July 2025, up from 105 in June—a 14.29% increase. While an eviction notice doesn’t guarantee a tenant will lose their home, it does signal a shift in the city’s housing dynamics. The latest numbers continue a pattern of fluctuation, with eviction notices rising and falling over recent months, but July’s jump stands out as a reversion to the trend upward.

This uptick isn’t an isolated blip.

The city’s eviction landscape has always been a moving target, but the current trend points to more landlords signaling intent to remove tenants than in previous years.

District 6 nearly tripled, fueling a citywide surge; non-payment of rent is the main driver. If this pace continues, the city could surpass pre-pandemic volumes for the first time.

What’s clear is that the city’s housing challenges remain front and center, with eviction notices serving as a barometer for broader shifts in property management and tenant stability.

🆘 Homeless Complaint 911 Calls Jump—Citywide Concern on the Rise

July brought an uptick in San Francisco’s 911 calls about homeless complaints, with dispatchers fielding 825 calls—up from 726 in June. That 13.6% increase marks a shift in the city’s ongoing dance with homelessness, after a decline since April, as residents dialed in more frequently to report concerns.

The jump stands out even in a city accustomed to fluctuation, as the data shows no single extraordinary event driving the surge—just a rise woven into the city’s broader pattern of monthly and seasonal changes.

Where it's happening: District 6 (Tenderloin/SOMA) led with 270 calls, continuing its role as the city's primary hotspot. District 8 saw the sharpest percentage increase with 40 additional calls—a 174% jump. Districts 1 and 2 also posted notable increases of 83% and 45% respectively.

A closer look at the numbers reveals that this isn’t a sudden outlier, but part of a larger tapestry of ups and downs. Historical data shows that homeless complaint calls have swung widely over recent years, with warmer months often bringing higher call volumes.

While July’s numbers are high, they fit within a pattern of periodic spikes and dips, suggesting that the city’s response to homelessness—whether through policy, shelter capacity, or public awareness—continues to shape how and when residents pick up the phone.

As always, the numbers leave the “why” to the imagination—whether it’s more people on the streets, more vigilant neighbors, or just the summer sun drawing everyone outside.

The Bottom Line

July's numbers show a city managing persistent challenges, not facing new crises. Crime remains on a positive trajectory despite monthly noise. Homeless-related emergency calls are up, reflecting pressure on services and neighborhoods. Housing pressure is building in central districts, but we're looking at notices, not actual evictions.

The homicide spike deserves attention as a traffic safety issue—five vehicular manslaughter incidents suggest we need better street design, not just violence prevention.

Report generated August 7, 2025, by TransparentSF. We analyze the city’s public data so you don’t have to.

Check out our handy dashboard of city metrics.

• 🚨Violent Crime: Down from 967 incidents in May to 904 in June, a decrease of 63 incidents or 7%, with weapons offenses dropping 41% and North Beach seeing a 69% decrease

• 🏠Property Crime: Down from 3,077 incidents in May to 2,527 in June, a decrease of 18% . Property crime is now at its lowest point since this dataset began in August 2018 (maybe in decades), with nearly every district seeing improvement. Decline in “Theft From Vehicles” and “Burglary” led the way in June.

• 📞 Homeless related 911 Calls down everywhere but district 11: Citywide, Homeless Complaint 911 calls are down 24% from 958 calls in May to 726 in June, but still up 27% year-to-date.

🚨 Violent Crime Drops to its lowest level since COVID Lockdown

June 2025 brought a sharp drop in violent crime across San Francisco, continuing a yearlong downward trend that’s likely to make statisticians—and perhaps a few police captains—crack a smile. Citywide, violent crime incidents fell 14% compared to the same period last year, to their lowest point since April of 2020. June showed especially steep declines in weapons-related offenses and robberies.

The category "Weapons Carrying Etc" saw a significant decline. Specifically, June 2025 registered a 41% drop compared to the 24-month average. This indicates a notable reduction in incidents involving weapons.

Some neighborhoods stood out for their dramatic improvements. North Beach saw violent crime plummet by 69% compared to its average between June 2023 and May 2025.

The Excelsior wasn’t far behind with a 67% drop over the same period, from an average of 28 incidents to just 9. These local dips echo the citywide trend, suggesting that whatever is driving the decline is not confined to a single corner of San Francisco.

Crime didn’t get better everywhere. Districts 3, 5 and 6 saw a slight uptick in crime from May to June, but they remain down vs last year and below their two year average.

🏠 Property Crime Continues To Drop Citywide Numbers Hit Multi-Year Low

June 2025 brought another dose of optimism for San Francisco: citywide property crime incidents dropped 18%, from 3,077 in May to 2,527 in June. This marks one of the sharpest monthly declines in recent months and continues a broader downward trend—year-to-date property crime is now 25% lower than at this point last year. Nearly every district joined the retreat, with only District 11 reporting a single additional incident.

The decline was broad-based across crime categories. Burglary incidents fell 43% compared to its 24-month average, while stolen property cases dropped 56%.

District-level data echoed the citywide trend: District 8 posted a 24% drop, and District 10—under Supervisor Shamman Walton—saw property crime fall 14% from May, a result Walton credits to focused community policing and strong collaboration with residents.

June’s property crime count sits 41% below the 24-month trend, and the city’s year-to-date total is 26% lower than last year’s halfway mark.

📞 Homeless Complaint Calls Fall: A Pause in a Rising Trend

June brought a welcome break for San Francisco’s 911 operators: homeless complaint calls dropped 24%, from 958 in May to 726 in June. This 232 case decline stands in contrast to the year-to-date trend, which still shows a 27% increase in such calls compared to last year.

While notable, this data didn’t trigger any statistical anomalies, suggesting it may be part of the city’s usual ebb and flow rather than a sudden shift in underlying conditions.

A closer look at the map of district-level changes reveals that the decline wasn’t evenly distributed. Districts 3 and 8 led the way, with 65 and 41 fewer calls respectively, while most other districts either held steady or saw smaller reductions. District 11 bucked the trend with a slight increase, though from a relatively low base. These local variations may reflect the patchwork of outreach efforts and neighborhood dynamics that shape how—and how often—residents pick up the phone.

Only district 11 saw an increase, moving from just 8 calls in may to 16 in June, which were spread out across the district.

The June monthly dip in calls stands out in a year otherwise defined by rising demand for emergency responses related to homelessness. This longer-term trend points to a sustained rise in public concern or visibility around homelessness, even as short-term numbers fluctuate. For now, June’s numbers offer a brief pause in what remains a steadily rising chorus of calls for help.

🧾 Bottom Line

By the numbers, San Francisco is in uncharted territory. Violent crime is at its lowest point since 2020. Property crime has cratered to levels not seen in more than a decade. Even 911 calls about homelessness—usually climbing—took a breather in June.

Is this a lasting shift or a momentary dip? We don’t speculate. We just track the data.

Report generated July 14, 2025, by TransparentSF. We analyze the city’s public data so you don’t have to.

Check out our handy dashboard of city metrics.

• 🏠 Housing Completions: Fell by 411 units (-60%) from April, but year-to-date totals are nearly triple last year’s—showing the city’s housing push is still gaining ground.

• 🔒 Property Crime: Rose by 271 incidents (+10%) citywide in May, breaking a months-long downward streak—though District 10 saw a drop, bucking the trend.

• 🔥 Fire Incidents: Dropped by 449 reports (-18%) in May, with several districts seeing declines over 30%—a rare bright spot in public safety.

🏠 Housing: May’s Completion Numbers Dip, But Momentum Remains

From Plunge to Progress: San Francisco’s Housing Rollercoaster

San Francisco’s housing pipeline slowed sharply in May, with just 270 new units completed—a 60% drop from April’s unusually high 681 units. While this monthly dip may raise eyebrows, the broader trend is more encouraging: year-to-date completions have reached 1,579, nearly triple last year’s pace for the same period.

This volatility in monthly completions is typical for San Francisco, where construction often clusters, leading to bursts of activity followed by quieter months. April’s surge was driven by several large projects, including a 501-unit development at 555 Bryant Street, plus significant contributions from 1151 Fairfax Avenue (76 units) and 240 Van Ness Avenue (112 units). In contrast, May’s largest completions—98 units at 4200 Geary Boulevard and 67 at 151 Freidell Street—couldn’t match April’s scale. The remainder of May’s new housing came from smaller projects, many with five units or fewer, typically finalized under Certificates of Final Completion (CFC), which often mark the end of smaller or previously started developments.

The city’s annual housing output has fluctuated in recent years, with 2024 closing at 1,661 units—an improvement, though still below historical highs. Despite May’s slowdown, the 2025 trend line points upward, on pace to surpass 2024’s full-year total total in June, and offering a rare sign of progress in the city’s ongoing housing crunch.

Meanwhile, the development pipeline remains active: a formal application was submitted for a seven-story, 20-unit apartment building at 150 Porter Street in Bernal Heights, including three affordable units (sfyimby.com). In the Mission, the 168-unit Casa Adelante affordable housing project broke ground last month (whatnow.com), signaling continued momentum for community-led development.

Policy efforts are also underway. The SF Family Zoning Plan aims to boost density and affordability, especially along transit corridors, as the city works to meet state housing mandates (sfplanning.org).

While officials have not commented directly on May’s numbers, the steady stream of new proposals and groundbreakings suggests that, even when monthly stats wobble, San Francisco’s housing ambitions remain firmly in play.

🔒 Property Crime: May’s Numbers Rebound, But the Story Is Nuanced

Crime Rises Citywide—But Some Neighborhoods Defy the Trend

San Francisco’s property crime numbers rebounded in May, with reported incidents rising nearly 10% from April—3,046 cases compared to 2,775 the previous month. This uptick interrupts a strong downward trend, though year-to-date property crime remains down more than 24% from last year’s pace.

Still, the May increase stands out, especially after a recent run of positive news on the crime front (growsf.org).

Not every neighborhood followed the citywide pattern. Supervisor District 10, for example, saw property crime incidents fall by 4%—a sharp deviation from its usual contribution to the city’s totals.

The citywide increase appears to be driven by localized spikes, particularly in districts 5 and 6, where property crime rose in May, largely due to larceny theft

Read mode at (sfchronicle.com).

Such volatility is not unusual, as crime subcategories and neighborhood trends often move in different directions, sometimes masking broader improvements or setbacks.

Despite May’s jump, the longer-term trend remains positive: property crime in San Francisco is still down 29% compared to historical averages. The city’s patchwork of rising and falling numbers underscores the complexity of tracking crime—and the importance of keeping an eye on both the big picture and the local details.

🔥 Fire Incidents: May’s Numbers Drop, Bringing Relief

Fires Cool Off—Citywide and in Key Districts

San Francisco’s fire incident numbers cooled in May, with citywide reports dropping 18% compared to the previous month—down to 2,097 from April’s 2,546. This marks a notable shift in a key public safety metric, continuing a broader trend: year-to-date fire incidents have fallen 11% compared to last year.

The data, suggests that efforts to reduce fire risks are showing up in the numbers (data.sfgov.org).

The drop wasn’t just citywide. Several supervisor districts posted even steeper declines, with Districts 2 and 11 down more than 30% relative to April. There was also a notable increase in district 4.

These localized improvements hint at operational changes, community engagement, or perhaps just a collective decision to keep the matches in the drawer.

Looking at causes, intentional fires dropped about 46%, while incidents with undetermined ignition sources fell nearly 50%.

Whether this reflects sharper investigative work or a drop in arsonists with commitment issues, the result is the same: fewer fires, less guesswork. The city’s fire incident dashboard tracks these trends in detail (sf-fire.org).

This May’s decline fits a broader pattern: after a spike in 2024, fire incidents have leveled off and now appear to be heading downward. While the reasons behind these improvements remain unspoken in official circles, the numbers themselves offer a rare bit of good news for San Francisco’s public safety outlook. For now, the city can enjoy a little less smoke on the horizon.

Generated on 2024-06-06, by TransparentSF