Total visitors and convention participants (2016)(1)
25.2 million
Visitors in San Francisco per day (2016)(1)
68,998
Visitor spending in San Francisco per day (2016)(1)
$24.5 million
Total tourism direct spending (2016)(1)
$8.9 billion
Average daily expenditure for all visitors(1)
$356.45
Visitor Spending per San Francisco household (2016)(1)
$10,667
Number of convention delegates staying in hotels/motels (2016)(1)
2.6 Million
Total Convention Attendee Spending (2016)(1)
$1.2 billion
Total Exhibitor Spending (2016)(1)
$656 million
Total Meeting Planner/Hosting Spending (2016)(1)
$42 million
Convention and meetings related spending (2016)(1)
$1.9 billion
Average expenditure per convention delegate per day (2016)(1)
$492.65
Average length of stay per convention delegate(2)
4.1
Average daily expenditure per general visitor staying in hotels/motels(2)
$298.03
Top six producing domestic metropolitan statistical areas (2015)(3)
1) Los Angeles, CA
2) San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA
3) Sacramento – Stockton – Modesto, CA
4) New York, NY
5) San Diego, CA
6) Washington, DC
Average daily room rate (2016)(4)
$252.92
Hotel occupancy (2016)(4)
85.5%
Room demand (2016)(4)
10.5 million
Transient room demand (2016)(4)
7.4 million
Total group room demand (2016)(4)
2.6 million
Moscone group room nights (2016)(22) (Group nights typically average one million room nights annually; the group room nights stated are a temporary decrease and due to Moscone Expansion.)
861,000
Self-Contained group room nights (2016)(4)
1.7 million
Top five producing international markets(5)
1) Mexico
2) China
3) United Kingdom
4) Canada
5) Germany
Top reasons for visiting San Francisco(2)
1) Atmosphere and ambiance
2) Friends and family in area
3) Scenic beauty
4) Restaurants and cuisine
Leading attractions visited(2)
1) Pier 39
2) Golden Gate Bridge
3) Golden Gate Park
4) Ferry Building
Leading activities(2)
1) Dine in restaurants
2) Shop
3) Visit a park
4) Visit friends and family
Leading neighborhoods visited(2)
1) Union Square
2) Fisherman’s Wharf
3) Embarcadero
4) Chinatown
Purpose of visit(2)
Leisure/Vacation = 85.6%
Business Travel = 7.1%
Meeting/ Convention = 7.2%
VISITOR PROFILE(2)
For detailed profiles on hotel guests, VFR (visiting friends and relatives) and international travelers contact San Francisco Travel Association Media Relations Department; the information below is a compilation of all visitor categories:
Average Age
40.1
Average Annual Household Income
$94,637
Average Length of Stay in City
2.5 Nights
First Time Visitors
24.4%
Gender
Female = 51.2%
Male = 45%
Prefer not to answer = 3.7%
POPULATION(7)
City of San Francisco
864,816
Major ethnic groups (2016):
White = 40.8%
Asian = 34.5%
Hispanic Origin = 15.3%
African American (Black) = 5.0%
Multiracial = 3.5%
American Indian = 0.1%
Pacific Islander = 0.4%
Other Races = 0.4%
Population of the nine Greater Bay Area counties:
Alameda (1,647,704), Contra Costa (1,135,127), Marin (260,651), Napa (142,166), San Francisco (870,887), San Mateo (764,797), Santa Clara (1,979,402), Solano (440,207) and Sonoma (503,070)
Total Bay Area population
7,684,011
WEATHER
The weather in San Francisco is mild year-round with temperatures seldom rising above 70 degrees (21 degrees C) or falling below 40 degrees (5 degrees C).
Daily Mean Temperature (F/C)
Month | Maximum | Minimum | Rainfall (Inches/cm)
January | 56.0/13.4 | 46.2/7.9 | 4.48/11.38
February | 59.4/15.2 | 48.4/9.1 | 2.83/7.18
March | 60.0/15.6 | 48.6/9.1 | 2.58/6.55
April | 61.1/16.2 | 49.2/9.6 | 1.48/3.76
May | 62.5/16.9 | 50.7/10.4 | 0.35/0.89
June | 64.3/17.9 | 52.5/11.4 | 0.15/0.38
July | 64.0/17.8 | 53.1/11.7 | 0.04/0.10
August | 65.0/18.3 | 54.2/12.3 | 0.08/0.20
September | 68.9/20.5 | 55.8/13.2 | 0.24/0.61
October | 68.3/20.2 | 54.8/12.7 | 1.09/2.77
November | 62.9/17.2 | 51.5/10.8 | 2.49/6.33
December | 56.9/13.8 | 47.2/8.5 | 3.52/8.94
Annual Average | 62.5/16.9 | 51.0/10.6 | 19.33/49.10
HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY
Total area in square miles in the city of San Francisco
47.335 miles
Miles of shoreline(8)
29.5 miles
Miles of waterfront(8)
7.5 miles
Number of piers
39
Square miles in San Francisco Bay and Delta(9)
Ranges from 400 to 1,600 miles
Fog signals around the San Francisco Bay(9)
32 signals
Total square miles in Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA)(9)
82,791 acres
Miles of San Francisco streets(10)
1,088 miles
RECREATION AND PARK FACILITIES
Recreational and open space within San Francisco
3,400 acres
Marina slips
671
Neighborhood parks
220
Playgrounds and play areas
179
High-rises (eight stories and above)(13)
766
Buildings designated historical landmarks (since 1967)(13)
266 buildings
Historic districts (Alamo Square, Blackstone Court, Bush Street Cottage Row, Civic Center, Dogpatch, Jackson Square, Liberty-Hill, Market Street Masonry, Northeast Waterfront, South End, Telegraph Hill, Webster St.)(13)
12 total
CONVENTION FACILITIES (CURRENT; EXPANSION UNDERWAY 2015-18)
Moscone Center Total Square Feet Meeting Lobby and Exhibit Space = 992,123 sf
Lobby Pre-Function Space = 151,726 sf
Meeting Rooms = 107
Completion Dates:
Moscone South --- December 1981
Esplanade Ballroom --- February 1991
Moscone North --- May 1992
Moscone West --- June 2003
LODGING
Hotel rooms available(4)
33,793 rooms
Number of hotels(4)
218 hotels
TRANSPORTATION
Average number of commuters daily(13)
431,859
Total number of licensed taxis permits (medallions as of 2016)(11)
1,967
Yearly cable car riders (2016)(11)
5,800,000
Cable cars
44 cars
Historic streetcars
45 cars
Route miles of cable car track
8.8 miles
Speed of cable car per mile
9.5 mph
Average weekday passenger boarding, San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni) (2016)(11)
725,000
Bridges
8 bridges
Length of San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in miles
8.4 miles
Average number of vehicles crossing the Bay Bridge yearly(17)
45,534,437
Length of Golden Gate Bridge in miles, including approaches(17)
1.7 miles
Average number of vehicles crossing Golden Gate Bridge yearly (2016)(16)
41,479,058
Number of years it took to construct the Golden Gate Bridge
4 years
SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT(5)
Annual passenger volume at San Francisco International Airport (2016)
53,106,505
Number of Flights (2016) = 204,904
International = 175,354
Domestic = 29,550
Total Seat Volume (2016) = 31,199,614
International = 23,948,976
Domestic = 7,250,638
Top 3 Domestic Airports of Origin by Number of Flights
1. Los Angeles International Airport = 33,884
2. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport = 18,017
3. Las Vegas McCarran International Airport = 15,372
Top 3 International Airports of Origin by Number of Flights
1. Vancouver International Airport = 2,979
2. London Heathrow Airport = 1,962
3. Hong Kong International Airport = 1,605
ATTRACTIONS
Total visitors to Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) (FY 2016)(10)
19,028,068
Total visitors to Alcatraz (2014)(10)
1.5 million
Victorian Houses
14,000
Restaurants(18)
4,415
Restaurants with Michelin Stars (Bay Area)
54
Theatres in Bay Area(19)
300 theaters
Theaters in San Francisco(19)
98 theaters
QUICK FACTS
BIRD: California Quail
CABLE CARS: Inaugural run August 2, 1873. Declared a National Historic Landmark on Oct. 1, 1964. Invented by Andrew S. Hallidie; restored June 21, 1984 after $60 million overhaul
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES(20) --- University of California, Berkeley; San Francisco State University; Stanford University; California State University, East Bay; Academy of Art University; University of San Francisco; Saint Mary’s College of California; University of California, San Francisco; Golden Gate University; California College of the Arts; Dominican University of California; Notre Dame de Namur University; and dozens of other private institutions
COLORS: Black and gold
25 LARGEST BAY AREA COMPANIES (PUBLIC)(20) --- Apple, Inc.; McKesson Corp.; Chevron Corp.; Hewlett-Packard Co.; Wells Fargo & Co.; Alphabet Inc.; Intel Corp.; Cisco Systems Inc.; Oracle Corp.; Gilead Sciences Inc.; Facebook Inc.; PG&E Corp.; Gap, Inc.; Visa, Inc.; Synnex Corp.; Ross Stores, Inc.; Core-Mark Holding Co., Inc.; Applied Materials, Inc.; PayPal, Inc.; eBay, Inc.; Franklin Resources Inc.; Netflix, Inc.; Salesforce; VMware, Inc.; Symantec Corp.
ELEVATION: Highest Point: Mt. Davidson at 938 feet
LOWEST POINT: Sea level
FLAG: The phoenix rising from the ashes on a white field bordered in gold
FLOWER: Dahlia
FOUNDED: Presidio of San Francisco established Sept. 17, 1776; incorporated April 15, 1850
GEOLOGY: San Francisco for the most part rests on a foundation of sandstone, shale and volcanic rock. Large deposits of serpentine, official rock of California, are located in the Presidio
GOVERNMENT: Mayor (four-year term, two-term limit) and Board of Supervisors (11 members)
HILLS: There are 43 hills within San Francisco, major ones are: Twin Peaks (910' and 903'), Nob (376'), Russian (294') and Telegraph (248')
ISLANDS: Numerous islands are around the San Francisco Bay, 12 within city limits: Alcatraz; the Farallones, a group of seven islands; Treasure Island; Yerba Buena; Angel Island, shared with the city of Tiburon; and Red Rock
MOTTO: Oro en paz, Fierro en guerra (Gold in peace, Iron in War)
PATRON SAINT: St. Francis of Assisi
SISTER CITIES(21): Abidjan, The Ivory Coast; Amman, Jordan; Assisi, Italy; Bangalore, India; Barcelona, Spain; Cork, Ireland; Haifa, Israel; Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam; Krakow, Poland; Manila, Philippines; Osaka, Japan; Paris, France; Seoul, Korea; Shanghai, China; Sydney, Australia; Taipei, Taiwan; Thessaloniki, Greece; Zurich, Switzerland
SONG: Official - "San Francisco" | Official ballad - "I Left My Heart in San Francisco"
MUSICAL INSTRUMENT: The accordion
STREETS:
Steepest: 31.5 percent of grade, Filbert between Leavenworth and Hyde, 22nd Street between Church and Vicksburg 29 percent of grade, Jones between Union and Filbert 27.9 percent of grade, Duboce between Buena Vista and Alpine
Oldest: Grant Avenue
Longest: Mission Street, 7.29 miles
Widest: Junipero Serra Boulevard (between property lines), 254 feet9
Narrowest: De Forest Way, four and a half feet
STRUCTURES: Sutro Tower is the tallest structure at 981 feet, (its base stands 830 feet above sea level); Transamerica Pyramid is the tallest building at 853 feet; Mission Dolores, dedicated on Aug. 2, 1791 is the oldest
GRATUITIES: Service is not included in restaurant checks. The average tip is 15-18 percent of the total check. Standard service fees are becoming more common and a tip is sometimes included for groups of six or more. A recent San Francisco health initiative has impacted costs at local restaurants and diners may encounter an additional charge related to this. The average tip is 15 percent of taxi fare. The average tip for airport and hotel baggage handlers is $1 per bag one-way.
TAX RATES: Sales tax is 8.50 percent; hotel fees in San Francisco include a 14 percent occupancy tax and 1 to 1.5 percent Tourism Improvement District assessment (depending on the location of the property).
Sources:
(1) Total Tourism Direct Spending (2016), San Francisco Travel Association in conjunction with Tourism Economics and Destination Analysts
(2) 2014, San Francisco Travel Association/Destination Analysts “Findings, Final Report: San Francisco Visitor Profile Research” 2017 Visitor Profile Study is in the field with results being available in 2018.
(3) 2015; Longwoods International, “San Francisco 2015 Visitor Study”
(4) STR; YTD Performance for City and County of San Francisco
(5) Global Travel City Database, January 2017, Tourism Economics
(6) OAG Flight schedule and seat capacity; August 2016 (next is August 2017)
(7) U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey http://factfinder2.census.gov and California Department of Finance
(8) City and County of San Francisco, Port of San Francisco
(9) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(10) Golden Gate National Recreation Area
(11) City and County of San Francisco, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
(12) City and County of San Francisco, Recreation and Park Department
(13) City and County of San Francisco, Planning Department
(14) MTC-ABAG Library, www.mtc.ca.gov; includes within city as well as nearby locations
(15) City and County of San Francisco, San Francisco International Airport, www.flysfo.com
(16) Bay Area Toll Authority, http://bata.mtc.ca.gov/bridges/sf-oak-bay.htm
(17) Golden Gate Bridge, Highway & Transportation District, http://goldengate.org/organization/annualreports.php
(18) City and County of San Francisco, Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Section (MIS); number changes daily.
(19) Grants for the Arts and San Francisco Travel Association
(20) San Francisco Business Times, 2015 Book of Lists “Bay Area Largest Public Companies” Based on FY 2013 Revenue.
(21) City and County of San Francisco, Office of the Mayor
(22) USI, CRM San Francisco Travel Association.