Japantown Housing Data

Ranks are among the 38 San Francisco neighborhoods with at least 500 homes. Census figures are ACS 2020-2024; the last four cards are Zillow market data for September 2026.

Homeownership Rate in Japantown

Of 2,209 occupied homes in Japantown, 2,017 are rented and 192 are owner-occupied. That renter share of 91.3% is the 4th highest of 38 neighborhoods, 29.5 points above the citywide figure of 61.8%. Households average 1.66 people, 2.17 in owned homes and 1.62 in rentals.

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

Owners and Renters by Age

0.0% of households in Japantown headed by someone under 35 own their home, the 3rd lowest of 38 neighborhoods and 13.8 points below the citywide figure of 13.8%. The rate is 15.1% for households headed by someone 35 to 64 and 8.9% for those 65 and over.

Of the renter households here, 22.6% are headed by someone under 35, 11.6 points below the citywide figure of 34.2%, and 53.1% by someone 65 or older.

Compare every neighborhood by homeownership under 35, 35 to 64 and 65 and over, or by the share of renters under 35 and 65 and over.

Median Rent in Japantown

The median gross rent in Japantown is $2,114 a month, estimated from the rent distribution of 1,908 renter households. Gross rent includes utilities. That is the 9th lowest of 38 neighborhoods and 15% below the citywide figure of $2,476.

46.4% of renter households here spend 30 percent or more of their income on rent, the Census threshold for being rent-burdened, and 27.8% spend half or more. Citywide, 39.6% of renters are rent-burdened. Compare on the median rent, rent burden and severe rent burden rankings.

Median Home Value in Japantown

Owners in Japantown put the median value of their home at $1,379,000, the 17th lowest of 37 neighborhoods and in line with the city as a whole. 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.

Current Home Prices and Asking Rents in Japantown

Zillow puts the typical home in Japantown at $1,127,000 as of September 2026, the 9th lowest of 37 neighborhoods and 22% below the citywide figure of $1,441,000. That is up 14.0% over the past year and up 5.5% over five years, and the one-year change is the 14th lowest 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.

Zillow publishes asking rents by ZIP code only, not by neighborhood. Weighting the ZIP codes that cover Japantown (94115) by the homes each holds here, the typical asking rent on a new listing is $4,892 a month as of September 2026, the 12th highest of 31 neighborhoods and 2% above the citywide figure of $4,784. A ZIP code's figure mixes in listings from every neighborhood it covers, so treat this as the going rate for the wider area rather than for Japantown alone. Asking rent is up 30.9% over the past year. Current tenants here pay a median of $2,114 including utilities, so a new lease costs about 131% more than what the typical renter already pays. That premium is the 3rd highest of 31 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 93.2%.

Homes in Japantown sold for a median of $1,321 per square foot from July to September 2026, by Redfin's sales records, the 2nd highest of 36 neighborhoods and 20% above the citywide figure of $1,103. That is up 19.9% from the same three months a year earlier and up 17.3% over five years. Price per square foot is the quickest way to compare areas where the homes differ in size, because a small condo and a large house can carry the same price tag.

Rankings: current home values, sale price per square foot, asking rents and the asking rent premium.

Source: Zillow Research, ZHVI and ZORI, September 2026. The home value is the average of Zillow's index for Japantown, the Zillow area inside this boundary. Asking rent is Zillow's ZIP code index for 94115, weighted by the homes in each ZIP. Zillow's areas do not match the Planning Department boundaries exactly. Method on the methodology page.

Price per square foot: Redfin, median sale price per square foot, all residential sales closed July to September 2026. It is Redfin's ZIP code figure for 94115, weighted by the homes in each ZIP, so it blends in parts of neighboring areas that share those ZIP codes.

What Residents Say About Japantown

The city's resident survey reached only 28 people in Japantown across 2023 and 2026, too few for steady figures on safety or street cleanliness. The neighborhood ratings cover the 35 neighborhoods with at least 40 responses.

Vacancy Rate in Japantown

245 of Japantown's 2,454 housing units were vacant when surveyed, a vacancy rate of 10.0%, the 18th lowest of 38 neighborhoods and 2.2 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:

Rankings: overall vacancy, rental vacancy and homeowner vacancy. By reason, across 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.

Housing Types in Japantown

2.4% of homes in Japantown are single-family houses, 11.6% are in two-to-four-unit buildings, and 75.3% are in buildings with 20 or more units. The single-family share is the 2nd lowest of 38 neighborhoods.

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.

Age of Homes in Japantown

16.7% of Japantown's housing was built before 1940, the 6th lowest of 38 neighborhoods, and 1.2% has been built since 2010. Citywide the pre-1940 share is 45.2%.

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

Median Household Income in Japantown

The median household income in Japantown is $91,800, the 6th lowest of 38 neighborhoods and 35% below the citywide figure of $140,970. Income and rent together drive the rent burden figure above. See the income ranking.

Japantown Demographics

About 4,011 people live in Japantown. Their median age is 50.9, older than San Francisco as a whole at 40.0. 5.0% of residents are under 18 and 40.9% are 65 or older; the share of older residents is the highest of 38 neighborhoods. These figures come from the American Community Survey for 2020-2024, the same survey as the housing numbers above.

Race and Ethnicity

The largest group in Japantown is White residents, at 43.8% of the population, 7.0 points above the citywide figure of 36.8%. Next are Asian residents at 39.3% and Hispanic or Latino residents at 11.2%. The Census counts Hispanic or Latino origin separately from race, so every other group here means non-Hispanic.

Education

66.7% of adults 25 and over in Japantown have at least a bachelor's degree, the 19th highest of 38 neighborhoods and 6.4 points above the citywide figure of 60.3%. 27.9% hold a graduate or professional degree, and 8.9% did not finish high school.

Commute

Working from home leads the commute mix in Japantown, at 38.5% of workers. 20.7% take public transit, the 12th highest of 38 neighborhoods, and 20.0% drive alone. Citywide, 31.0% work from home and 18.7% take transit.

Languages and Birthplace

37.9% of people in Japantown were born outside the United States, the 12th highest of 38 neighborhoods and 3.9 points above the citywide figure of 34.0%. 56.9% of residents 5 and over speak only English at home. The most common other language is Chinese, spoken at home by 9.1%.

Poverty

20.1% of residents in Japantown live below the federal poverty line, the 7th highest of 38 neighborhoods and 8.9 points above the citywide figure of 11.2%. The federal line is set nationally and does not adjust for San Francisco's costs, so it undercounts people who struggle to afford the city.

Compare every San Francisco neighborhood by median age, residents 65 and over, bachelor's degrees, transit commuting, foreign-born residents and poverty, or see all of them on the San Francisco demographics overview.

* Small sample: the Census margin of error on a marked figure is large compared with the estimate, so treat it as a rough guide.

Overcrowding and Turnover in Japantown

3.9% of occupied homes in Japantown have more than one person per room, the Census definition of overcrowding, the 18th lowest of 38 neighborhoods. Citywide it is 6.0%. 2.4% of households moved in 2023 or later, a rough measure of turnover, against 6.2% citywide. Rankings: overcrowding, recent movers.

Housing Trends in Japantown Since 2010

Between the 2010-2014 and 2020-2024 surveys, the median rent in Japantown went from $1,396 to $2,114, up 14% after inflation. The median home value went from $604,000 to $1,379,000, up 72% in real terms, and median household income rose 24% in real terms.

Decennial census, 2010 and 2020

The full census counts every home rather than sampling, so these figures have no margin of error. Japantown's population grew 8% between 2010 and 2020 while its housing stock shrank 2%.

Japantown ZIP Codes

Japantown is split across 2 ZIP codes. 94115 has the largest share of its homes, about 82%.

Shares are estimates. Each census tract's homes are split among the ZIP codes that overlap it, by land area, and ZIP codes with under 3% of the homes are left out. ZIP codes follow mail routes, not neighborhood lines. Rents are for the whole ZIP code: Census median rent (2020-2024) and Zillow asking rent (September 2026). See every neighborhood's ZIP codes.

Map of Japantown

Japantown is one of the 41 Analysis Neighborhoods the San Francisco Planning Department uses for reporting, made up of 1 2020 census tracts. It sits in supervisor district 5.

Nearby: Haight Ashbury, Hayes Valley, Lone Mountain/USF, Pacific Heights. Or see all neighborhoods.

Census tracts: 015500. 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, September 2026. Dollar figures are in 2024 dollars unless marked nominal. Full method on the methodology page.