HomeNeighborhoodsCastro/Upper Market

Castro/Upper Market Housing Data

The Castro/Upper Market has 13,053 housing units across 7 census tracts, a mid-sized neighborhoods in San Francisco. The median rent is $2,885, the median owner-occupied home is worth $1,671,000, and 56.1% of occupied homes are rented. On today's market, Zillow puts asking rent at $5,942 and the typical home at $1,752,000 as of August 2026.

That rent is the 12th highest of 38 neighborhoods and 17% above the citywide figure of $2,476. The figures below come from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, rolled up from tract level as described in the methodology, and are part of the San Francisco housing overview.

Map of San Francisco with Castro/Upper Market highlighted

Ranks are among the 38 San Francisco neighborhoods on this site. "Of 38" means 38 neighborhoods with at least 500 homes. Census figures are ACS 2020-2024; the last four cards are Zillow market data for August 2026.

Who owns and who rents in the Castro/Upper Market

Of 11,616 occupied homes in the Castro/Upper Market, 6,520 are rented and 5,096 are owner-occupied. That renter share of 56.1% is the 14th lowest of 38 neighborhoods, 5.7 points below the citywide figure of 61.8%. Households average 1.88 people, 2.12 in owned homes and 1.7 in rentals.

Owners and renters in Castro/Upper Market compared with San Francisco
  1. Renter-occupied56.1%SF 61.8%
  2. Owner-occupied43.9%SF 38.2%

See every neighborhood ranked by renter share or by homeownership rate.

What rent costs in the Castro/Upper Market

The median gross rent in the Castro/Upper Market is $2,885 a month, estimated from the rent distribution of 6,379 renter households. Gross rent includes utilities. That is the 12th highest of 38 neighborhoods and 17% above the citywide figure of $2,476.

33.0% of renter households here spend 30 percent or more of their income on rent, the Census threshold for being rent-burdened, and 17.8% spend half or more. Citywide, 39.6% of renters are rent-burdened. Compare on the median rent, rent burden and severe rent burden rankings.

Rent burden in Castro/Upper Market compared with San Francisco
  1. Paying 30% or more33.0%SF 39.6%
  2. Paying 50% or more17.8%SF 19.8%

What homes are worth in the Castro/Upper Market

Owners in the Castro/Upper Market put the median value of their home at $1,671,000, the 11th highest of 37 neighborhoods and 17% above the citywide figure of $1,425,000. This is the owner's own estimate as reported to the Census, not a sale price, so it runs below market in a rising market.

The homeowner vacancy rate, homes for sale as a share of the owner stock, is 0.0%. See the home value ranking.

What the Castro/Upper Market costs on the market right now

Zillow puts the typical home in the Castro/Upper Market at $1,752,000 as of August 2026, the 13th highest of 37 neighborhoods and 23% above the citywide figure of $1,425,000. That is up 17.9% over the past year and up 4.0% over five years, and the one-year change is the 9th highest of 37 neighborhoods. The Census value above is what owners said their home was worth, averaged over the 2020-2024 survey years. Zillow's figure is a model of what homes would sell for now, so the two are expected to differ, and Zillow's is the one to use for today's market.

The typical asking rent on a new listing in the Castro/Upper Market is $5,942 a month as of August 2026, by Zillow's rent index, the highest of 38 neighborhoods and 27% above the citywide figure of $4,682. Asking rent is up 28.1% over the past year. Current tenants here pay a median of $2,885 including utilities, so a new lease costs about 106% more than what the typical renter already pays. That premium is the 8th highest of 38 neighborhoods. Rent control, long tenancies and subsidized housing all hold paid rents below asking rents, so the widest gaps are where tenants have stayed longest or where much of the stock is below market, and the citywide premium is 89.1%.

Zillow typical home value in Castro/Upper Market, 2000 to 2026
2000 Typical home value: $655,0002001 Typical home value: $733,0002002 Typical home value: $702,0002003 Typical home value: $727,0002004 Typical home value: $823,0002005 Typical home value: $956,0002006 Typical home value: $991,0002007 Typical home value: $1.02M2008 Typical home value: $1.01M2009 Typical home value: $909,0002010 Typical home value: $872,0002011 Typical home value: $836,0002012 Typical home value: $929,0002013 Typical home value: $1.12M2014 Typical home value: $1.32M2015 Typical home value: $1.54M2016 Typical home value: $1.54M2017 Typical home value: $1.55M2018 Typical home value: $1.66M2019 Typical home value: $1.65M2020 Typical home value: $1.66M2021 Typical home value: $1.68M2022 Typical home value: $1.71M2023 Typical home value: $1.49M2024 Typical home value: $1.47M2025 Typical home value: $1.49M2026 Typical home value: $1.75M
Typical home value
Zillow asking rent in Castro/Upper Market, 2017 to 2026
2017 Asking rent: $3,8702018 Asking rent: $4,0112019 Asking rent: $4,1442020 Asking rent: $3,8502021 Asking rent: $3,8802022 Asking rent: $4,0862023 Asking rent: $4,0922024 Asking rent: $4,2442025 Asking rent: $4,6402026 Asking rent: $5,942
Asking rent

Rankings: current home values, asking rents and the asking rent premium.

Source: Zillow Research, ZHVI and ZORI, August 2026. The home value is the average of Zillow's index for Castro, Corona Heights, Dolores Heights, Duboce Triangle, Eureka Valley and Upper Market, the Zillow areas inside this boundary. Asking rent is Zillow's ZIP code index for 94114, weighted by the homes in each ZIP. Zillow's areas do not match the Planning Department boundaries exactly. Method on the methodology page.

How many homes sit empty in the Castro/Upper Market

1,437 of the Castro/Upper Market's 13,053 housing units were vacant when surveyed, a vacancy rate of 11.0%, the 17th highest of 38 neighborhoods and 1.2 points below the citywide figure of 12.2%. The Census counts a unit as vacant for any reason, including homes between tenants, second homes and units held off the market, so this is broader than the rental vacancy rate.

The rental vacancy rate, units for rent as a share of the rental stock, is 5.5% against 6.7% citywide. Why the vacant units are empty:

Reasons homes are vacant in Castro/Upper Market, share of vacant units
  1. For rent26.8%
  2. Rented, not yet occupied6.0%
  3. For sale0.0%
  4. Sold, not yet occupied35.9%
  5. Seasonal or occasional use24.0%
  6. Other vacant7.3%

Rankings: overall vacancy, rental vacancy and homeowner vacancy. Every reason above has its own ranking of all 38 neighborhoods: for rent, rented but not yet occupied, for sale, sold but not yet occupied, for seasonal or occasional use and other vacant homes.

What kind of buildings the Castro/Upper Market has

22.4% of homes in the Castro/Upper Market are single-family houses, 39.6% are in two-to-four-unit buildings, and 12.8% are in buildings with 20 or more units. The single-family share is the 18th lowest of 38 neighborhoods.

Housing units by building type in Castro/Upper Market compared with San Francisco
  1. Single-family, detached16.3%SF 18.0%
  2. Single-family, attached6.1%SF 12.4%
  3. 2 units16.2%SF 9.1%
  4. 3 or 4 units23.4%SF 11.0%
  5. 5 to 9 units13.2%SF 9.2%
  6. 10 to 19 units11.9%SF 9.2%
  7. 20 to 49 units6.8%SF 10.7%
  8. 50 or more units6.1%SF 20.1%
  9. Other0.0%SF 0.2%

Rankings by single-family share, share in two-to-four-unit buildings and share in large buildings, or by each building type: detached, attached, 2 units, 3-4 units, 5-9 units, 10-19 units, 20-49 units and 50+ units.

When the Castro/Upper Market's homes were built

60.1% of the Castro/Upper Market's housing was built before 1940, the 8th highest of 38 neighborhoods, and 4.2% has been built since 2010. Citywide the pre-1940 share is 45.2%.

Housing units in Castro/Upper Market by decade built
  1. 1939 or earlier60.1%
  2. 1940 to 19494.8%
  3. 1950 to 19596.5%
  4. 1960 to 19699.8%
  5. 1970 to 19795.7%
  6. 1980 to 19893.4%
  7. 1990 to 19992.2%
  8. 2000 to 20093.3%
  9. 2010 to 20194.1%
  10. 2020 or later0.2%

Rankings by pre-1940 housing and new construction, or by decade: 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020+.

Household income in the Castro/Upper Market

The median household income in the Castro/Upper Market is $200,000 or more, the highest of 38 neighborhoods and 42% above the citywide figure of $140,600. The ACS caps its top income bin at $200,000, so the true median is higher. Income and rent together drive the rent burden figure above. See the income ranking.

Overcrowding and turnover in the Castro/Upper Market

2.0% of occupied homes in the Castro/Upper Market have more than one person per room, the Census definition of overcrowding, the 11th lowest of 38 neighborhoods. Citywide it is 6.0%. 6.0% of households moved in 2023 or later, a rough measure of turnover, against 6.2% citywide. Rankings: overcrowding, recent movers.

How the Castro/Upper Market's housing has changed

Between the 2010-2014 and 2020-2024 surveys, the median rent in the Castro/Upper Market went from $1,803 to $2,885, up 21% after inflation. The median home value went from $991,000 to $1,671,000, up 27% in real terms, and median household income rose 28% in real terms.

Median rent in Castro/Upper Market, nominal and in 2024 dollars
2010-2014 Median rent, nominal: $1,803
In 2024 dollars: $2,389
2015-2019 Median rent, nominal: $2,215
In 2024 dollars: $2,718
2020-2024 Median rent, nominal: $2,885
In 2024 dollars: $2,885
Median rent, nominalIn 2024 dollars
Five-year ACS estimates. Earlier vintages are on 2010 census tracts, allocated to today's boundaries by land area.
SurveyPopulationHousing unitsRentersVacancyMedian rentMedian valueMedian income
2010-201420,26712,19757.2%9.2%$1,803$991k$118k
2015-201922,50612,44560.9%8.9%$2,215$1.36M$163k
2020-202421,94413,05356.1%11.0%$2,885$1.67M$200k+

Decennial census, 2010 and 2020

The full census counts every home rather than sampling, so these figures have no margin of error. The Castro/Upper Market's population grew 12% between 2010 and 2020 while its housing stock grew 6%.

CensusPopulationHousing unitsOccupiedVacantVacancy rateRenters
201019,79111,78910,8879027.7%61.5%
202022,21312,48411,5379477.6%62.9%

Where the Castro/Upper Market is

The Castro/Upper Market is one of the 41 Analysis Neighborhoods the San Francisco Planning Department uses for reporting, made up of 7 2020 census tracts. It sits in supervisor district 8. The area people call Duboce Triangle, The Castro, Castro, Eureka Valley and Upper Market falls inside these boundaries and is included in the figures above.

Nearby: Glen Park, Haight Ashbury, Mission, Noe Valley. Or see all neighborhoods.

Census tracts: 020500, 020401, 020602, 020300, 020601, 017000, 016900. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (tables B25001 to B25077, B19001, B25008, B25014, B25024, B25034, B25038, B25070), 2010 SF1 and 2020 DHC; DataSF Analysis Neighborhoods crosswalk; Zillow Research ZHVI and ZORI, August 2026. Dollar figures are in 2024 dollars unless marked nominal. Full method on the methodology page.