Overall streets and sidewalks rating
The City Survey asks residents to rate their view of the cleanliness and condition of the City's streets and sidewalks. This section has been on the survey in some form since 1996. The reported overall grade on streets and sidewalks is an average of ratings of the condition of streets, condition of sidewalks, and cleanliness of streets and sidewalks.
Data notes and sources
Data notes and sources
The City Survey objectively assesses San Francisco residents’ use of and satisfaction with various city services. It was conducted annually from 1996 through 2005, and biennially from 2005 through 2019. The 2021 survey was skipped due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and surveying was resumed for the 2023 survey.
Ratings are scored on a scale of A-Excellent to F-Failing. Most outcomes in the City Survey are developed by averaging responses to create a mean score using a five-point grading scale (A equals five points and F equals one point).
For streets, respondents provide a grade for three questions, the cleanliness of streets and sidewalks in their neighborhood, the condition of sidewalk pavement and curb ramps in their neighborhood, and the condition of the street pavement in their neighborhood. These three ratings are averaged to create the overall streets rating.
In 2015, the survey methodology changed from mail to phone. In 2023 the survey methodology changed again to include phone, text, online, and intercept methods to reach a more representative sample of San Francisco residents. Therefore, differences in results from years prior to 2023 should be interpreted with caution.
Survey results are weighted in order to make the sample more accurately match the distribution of San Francisco residents across demographic categories as reflected in the census. The averages displayed in reporting are the weighted averages.
View and download City Survey data
View the 2023 survey instrument to see exact language used in each question.
View the 2023 City Survey detailed methodology.
Visit the City Survey home page for more information.
What does the 2023 data show?
The overall rating for streets and sidewalk dropped from 2019 to 2023, though it remained within the same C+ grade category. All three components of the score dropped, though street conditions fell the least. Street and sidewalk cleanliness remained the lowest rating of the three.
Streets and sidewalk ratings by neighborhood
Why do we track this data by neighborhood?
The condition and cleanliness of the City's streets and sidewalks may be very different in different areas of the City, and people who live, work, or play in different neighborhoods could have very different experiences.
Data notes and sources
Data notes and sources
The City Survey objectively assesses San Francisco residents’ use of and satisfaction with various city services. It was conducted annually from 1996 through 2005, and biennially from 2005 through 2019. The 2021 survey was skipped due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and surveying was resumed for the 2023 survey.
Ratings are scored on a scale of A-Excellent to F-Failing. Most outcomes in the City Survey are developed by averaging responses to create a mean score using a five-point grading scale (A equals five points and F equals one point).
For streets, respondents provide a grade for three questions, the cleanliness of streets and sidewalks in their neighborhood, the condition of sidewalk pavement and curb ramps in their neighborhood, and the condition of the street pavement in their neighborhood. These three ratings are averaged to create the overall streets rating.
In 2015, the survey methodology changed from mail to phone. In 2023 the survey methodology changed again to include phone, text, online, and intercept methods to reach a more representative sample of San Francisco residents. Therefore, differences in results from years prior to 2023 should be interpreted with caution.
Survey results are weighted in order to make the sample more accurately match the distribution of San Francisco residents across demographic categories as reflected in the census. The averages displayed in reporting are the weighted averages.
Neighborhoods
We asked respondents "What is an intersection (two cross streets) that is close to your primary residence?" Based on those cross streets, we assigned each respondent to a DataSF Analysis Neighborhood. We filtered neighborhoods with fewer than 10 responses from results because results aren't reliable with that few responses, to maintain accuracy:
- Golden Gate Park
- Japantown
- Lincoln Park
- McLaren Park
- Presidio
- Seacliff
- Treasure Island
Twenty-one percent of survey responses came in via in-person surveys, which were conducted to reach a survey population that is more representative of SF's overall population. Chinatown had a much larger population respond in-person (82%) compared to other neighborhoods. Through our testing, we found that this likely led to Chinatown having higher service ratings compared to other neighborhoods.
View and download City Survey data
View the 2023 survey instrument to see exact language used in each question.
View the 2023 City Survey detailed methodology.
Visit the City Survey home page for more information.
What does the 2023 data show?
There aren’t clear patterns across the City in resident ratings of street and sidewalk quality in 2023. Residents of the Tenderloin reported the lowest ratings. There are a few areas in the City which may look as though they have higher ratings than expected based on past years—in particular Chinatown and Bayview Hunters Point. This is likely due a higher number of respondents who were surveyed in person in those neighborhoods (in person surveys appear to have resulted in higher ratings than other survey modes) rather than a major shift in resident views.
Find out more
Visit the City Survey home page to find additional reporting and information from 2023 as well as previous years.