Updated March 7, 2023.

Our snazzy new tool allows you to build a custom area and look at it through a variety of lenses, seeing how it compares to the city at large.

Simply select some census tracts on the map below to get started. You can use the dropdown menu to select a dataset, and hit the download button to peruse the raw data yourself.

So far, we have spotted poor internet access in Western Addition, shockingly high larceny rates on Embarcadero — driven by car break-ins — and strong correlations between income and race throughout the city. In the comments, let us know what you find.

Note on the data

Most of the datasets displayed in this tool are from the 2021 American Community Survey. The ACS is a yearly survey conducted by the Census Bureau. Each figure reported in the survey contains a margin of error. To see the error margins for each dataset, click the links in the tool footnotes.

The “crime” dataset works a little differently. It is derived from 2022 San Francisco incident report data. We removed supplemental incidents to eliminate double counting, and discounted incidents without any geographic information. We included five of the city’s most common crimes.

It is important to note that the incident report dataset is not the official source of crime statistics, but rather a log of police incidents. We used this dataset because it includes precise geographic data, unlike the finalized figures.

We are hoping to update this tool periodically by adding new datasets. If you have an idea for a dataset you would like to see mapped, or if you spot any bugs, please let us know at will@missionlocal.com.

You can access the code behind the tool on GitHub.

Follow Us

Avatar photo

DATA REPORTER. Will was born in the UK and studied English at Oxford University. After a few years in publishing, he absconded to the USA where he studied data journalism in New York. Will has strong views on healthcare, the environment, and the Oxford comma.

Join the Conversation

6 Comments

Please keep your comments short and civil. Do not leave multiple comments under multiple names on one article. We will zap comments that fail to adhere to these short and very easy-to-follow rules.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. Interface doesn’t work on iPad os 16.3.1
    It shows the map but not the data widgets when a topic is selected

    1. Oh that’s frustrating – I will investigate.
      Update: This should now be fixed, but if anyone is still facing issues then please let me know. Thanks!