Prism Geo · city intelligence · pilot
San Francisco · image via Wikimedia Commons
Prism Geo · United States · California · San Francisco

San Francisco

California, United States · updated 2026-08-06

San Francisco is a formidable technology-and-research city with a bruised civic mood: money, talent and new companies keep arriving, while overdoses, public safety and uneven infrastructure define the harder edge. Its economy is broader than the startup cliché—healthcare, retail and finance matter—but its defining contradiction is relentless formation alongside visible closure and social strain.

San Francisco · image via Wikimedia Commons
news reported (civic)
24,894
companies + mapped places
43,671 + 730
research works (est.)
≈104,720
govt money announcements
600
The city at a glance
economic fabric

What is San Francisco made of?

💻 Technology
10/10
🛍 Retail
9/10
🏭 Manufacturing
9/10
🏥 Healthcare
9/10
🏟 Sports
8/10
🎓 Education
8/10
🌱 Sustainability
7/10
🛕 Religion & tourism
7/10
🚛 Logistics
7/10
🌾 Agriculture
5/10

news coverage + 3×registered companies + 2×mapped places, log-scaled vs strongest sector

momentum

What the city turned toward · Jan–Apr 2026

Each topic's share of news attention, January–April 2026 against September–December 2025 — news ingestion paused in May, so this is the latest complete window.

Healthcare

13 → 86 news reports
▲239%

Infrastructure & housing

104 → 44 news reports
▼78%

Public Safety

31 → 107 news reports
▲77%

Protest

18 → 16 news reports
▼54%

Governance

111 → 104 news reports
▼52%

Policing Law Enforcement

69 → 73 news reports
▼46%

Crime

327 → 924 news reports
▲45%

Disasters Emergencies

32 → 35 news reports
▼44%

Accidents

131 → 186 news reports
▼27%

Corruption

13 → 31 news reports
▲22%

a rising share means the city's attention is turning toward it — not necessarily more incidents

top city themes

What San Francisco's news is about

Themes across the city's entire news coverage — ≈414.5K located reports — with each theme's momentum, its most specific keywords, and how the coverage feels. A CRITICAL badge means most of that theme's coverage is extremely negative.

Business

▲19.2% growing
Stock Performance · Earnings Report · Ceo Change · Annual Earnings
76% positive coverage

Technology

▲32.3% growing
Stock Performance · Ai Research · Smartphone Models · Ai Hardware
80% positive coverage

Sports

▲52.1% growing
Mlb Starting Pitchers · Nfl Player Stats · Mlb Player Performance · Nfl Starting Lineup
58% positive coverage

Politics

▼20.7% declining
Police Violence · Border Enforcement Practices · Federalism Disputes · Immigration Courts
86% negative coverage

Football

▲18.1% growing
Nfl Player Stats · Nfl Starting Lineup · Nfl Team Lineups · Mlb Starting Pitchers
54% positive coverage

Finance

▲22.6% growing
Stock Performance · Stock Indices · Earnings Report · Commodity Futures
73% positive coverage

Crime

▲130.8% growing
Multiple Victim Shooting · Mass Shooting · Police Violence · Gun Violence
100% negative coverage

Real Estate

▼16.7% declining
Commercial Offices · Corporate Offices · Housing Analytics · Professional Office Buildings
69% positive coverage

Entertainment

▲340.0% growing
Rock Band Tours · Rock Concerts · Alternative Rock Concerts · Rock Music Events
86% positive coverage

momentum window: Jan–Apr 2026 vs Sep–Dec 2025 · sentiment is a property of the news coverage, not a city rating

city signals

The character of San Francisco

  • ✓Technology engine— Technology leads with 14325 companies and 308 mapped places
  • ✓AI hiring magnet— OpenAI and Mercor lead what employers advertise
  • ✓Deep venture capital pool— 12828 tracked companies have raised outside money
  • ✓Medical research powerhouse— UCSF contributes 11078 locally produced papers
  • ✓High-churn startup factory— 13516 companies formed since 2018 amid substantial closures
  • ✓Large corporate anchor base— Wells Fargo, Gap, Salesforce and Cisco Meraki anchor employment
  • ✓Office-heavy street economy— Software companies and corporate offices dominate mapped businesses
  • ✓Broader economy than expected— Retail, healthcare, finance and education sit beside technology
everyday life

Living in San Francisco means…

  • ✓working in a tech-heavy market— Technology leads both company registrations and mapped workplaces
  • ✓watching public safety closely— Recent attention shifted sharply toward crime and public safety
  • ✓seeing startups appear and vanish— Formation is high, but 5144 tracked companies have shut down
  • ✓being near medical discovery— UCSF dominates local institutional research
  • ✓following housing and transport choices— Government money repeatedly names both themes
  • ✓feeling the overdose crisis— Multiple deadly events center on fentanyl and drug overdoses

read from the news record — not a survey

hidden depth

Things most people don't know

  • The company registry counts 1141 venture capital and private-equity firms, more than the 857 real estate firms.
  • The city-tagged research record includes Universidad San Francisco de Quito with 1127 papers.
  • Historical art and architecture narrowly outranks magnetic confinement fusion in research about San Francisco, 26 papers to 25.
  • The registry counts 2654 acquired companies, more than the 2313 listed simply as funding raised.
  • Mapped biotechnology companies carry a 4.47 rating, above software companies at 4.32.
The verdict & benchmarks — San FranciscoWhat the record is made of — San FranciscoJustice & accountability — San FranciscoEvents & specifics — San FranciscoThe civic record of San FranciscoWhat problems are increasing?What diseases are rising?What projects is my government investing in?What companies are hiring?What skills are in demand?Which industries dominate?The startup picture in San FranciscoIs this city good for manufacturing?What research is done in San Francisco?What research studies San Francisco?Who runs the political conversation?What is the news saying?
Safety & civic life
Civic intelligence · Prism engine

Where does San Francisco stand against the developed world?

Six-nation developed-median report card (USA · UK · FR · DE · AU · CA) computed from the same data, like-for-like. ▼ worse than the norm, ▲ better.

Six-nation developed median (USA · UK · France · Germany · Australia · Canada) — ▼ worse than the norm, ▲ better

Road-accident Accountability
7.8%here
5.8%benchmark
▲
Corruption Load
3.1%here
1.8%benchmark
▼
Cases Concluded
6.3%here
5.5%benchmark
▲
Fatality-linked News
14.6%here
15.3%benchmark
▲
Communal Politics
4.2%here
3.6%benchmark
▼
Enforcement Action
20.9%here
20.3%benchmark
▲
Civic record homeBenchmarksThe recordJusticeEvents
Open the full data →

four chapters, plus the politics and money layers

Civic record

What problems are increasing?

public safety is taking the fastest-growing slice of the city's news (up 3.3 points), with immigration border next (up 2.8). Crime still leads in volume, but its share is shrinking.

Each problem's slice of city news — change in points, 2024–26 vs 2021–23
Public SafetyPublic SafetyPublic Safety: +3.3 points of coverage share+3.3Immigration BorderImmigration BorderImmigration Border: +2.8 points of coverage share+2.8Accidents Road SafetyAccidents Road SafetyAccidents Road Safety: +2.6 points of coverage share+2.6Governance PolicyGovernance PolicyGovernance Policy: +2.3 points of coverage share+2.3Infrastructure UtilitiesInfrastructure UtilitiesInfrastructure Utilities: +0.8 points of coverage share+0.8Legal JudicialLegal JudicialLegal Judicial: -1.7 points of coverage share-1.7Policing Law EnforcementPolicing Law EnforcementPolicing Law Enforcement: -1.8 points of coverage share-1.8Public HealthPublic HealthPublic Health: -2.7 points of coverage share-2.7Crime ViolenceCrime ViolenceCrime Violence: -5.0 points of coverage share-5.0
Fastest-rising specific problems
homicide attempt +3.2 ptssuicide +1.9 ptspower outage +1.4 ptshomicide threats +0.8 ptsstrike +0.7 ptsattempted robbery +0.7 ptssuicide investigation +0.6 ptsfinancial aid fraud +0.5 pts
Summary

The civic mix is shifting away from broad crime coverage but toward immediate threats. Crime and violence took a smaller slice of the city’s news, down 5.0 points, while public safety rose 3.3 points and homicide attempts rose 3.19 points.

WATCH Watch whether rising homicide attempts and public-safety attention lead to sustained preventive action.
Open the full data →

24,894 pieces of news reported

Health

What diseases are rising?

Rising: viral outbreak.

SignalNews Reported2024–26 Trend
Disease Outbreak102▼ receding
Pandemic Outbreak50▼ receding
Vaccine Preventable Disease Outbreak12▼ receding
Viral Outbreak11▲ rising
Pandemic Response10▼ receding
Coronavirus Outbreak10— flat
Outbreak6▼ receding
Public-health coverage by year
2026: 852017202685
Summary

Most outbreak signals are easing, but the exception matters. Disease outbreaks account for 102 pieces of local coverage and are receding; viral outbreaks are smaller at 11 but rising.

WATCH Watch whether the rising viral-outbreak signal stays isolated or broadens.
Open the full data →

disease signals drawn from local news coverage

Money & governance
Public money

What projects is my government investing in?

other leads 600 tracked announcements — development-authority land purchase, Smart City works and national-highway tenders anchor the money trail.

Announcement themes
Largest place-directed announcements
DateThemeLevelAmountWhat
2025-09Defense SecurityNational$100 MillionThe U.S. Department of Defense awarded Scale AI a $100 million five-year contract to deliver…
2024-08Urban HousingNational$100 MillionThe White House announced a $100 million grant program for state and local governments to improve…
2022-03TransportNational$100 MillionBiden administration recommended $100 million for the Gateway Project to expand Amtrak's capacity…
2018-01EducationLocal$100 MillionA ballot measure would raise the city's commercial gross receipts tax by 3.5%, providing over $100…
2024-02Social WelfareLocal$93 MillionProposition 47 allocated nearly $93 million in Proposition 47 grants to mental health, drug…
2025-05OtherLocal$91 MillionThe SF Board of Supervisors appropriated $91 million in overtime pay for the police and sheriff's…
Summary

Public money is split between long-horizon services and immediate pressure relief. Transport is the leading named theme with 97 announcements; Proposition 47 directed nearly $93 million to mental health, treatment and housing, while the city set aside $91 million for police and sheriff overtime.

WATCH Watch whether housing and transport allocations translate into visible local delivery.
Open the full data →

amounts are announcement headlines — shown, never summed

Politics

Who runs the political conversation?

10738 statements track San Francisco politics — communal-coded rhetoric runs 4.0% (developed-world median ≈3.65%; a typical Indian city runs ≈11%).

Loudest voices
Stance mix
supports · 4098opposes · 3194condemns · 1458proposes · 1378endorses · 178threatens · 164
Summary

Political conversation is locally anchored and lightly religious in framing. London Breed is the loudest named voice with 1354 mentions, while religious or communal framing makes up 4.0%; Donald Trump, Gavin Newsom and Daniel Lurie are also prominent.

WATCH Watch how the balance among city, state and national voices changes.
Open the full data →

from political statements naming the city

Economy & work
Jobs

What companies are hiring?

OpenAI leads 8,555 tracked postings; top advertised role: Account Executive.

Top hiring companies · May–Jul 2026
Hiring volume by month · May–Jul 2026
Summary

Hiring is led by frontier technology but not confined to it. OpenAI tops city-tagged demand with 208 roles, Mercor follows at 111, and Deloitte, Gap and Maximus show demand beyond startups.

WATCH Watch whether AI-led recruitment keeps spreading into established corporate employers.
Open the full data →

8555 job postings tagged to the city in May–Jul 2026 (a floor, not a census)

Jobs

What skills are available?

Most-demanded skills: excel, ai, python.

Most-demanded skills
Summary

The labor market wants people who can bridge business operations and technical work. Excel leads at 309 mentions, followed by AI at 234 and Python at 214; SQL, Salesforce and office tools broaden the practical mix.

WATCH Watch whether AI demand grows without displacing the broad need for office and data skills.
Open the full data →

demand-side signal (what employers ask for), not a resident skill census

Economy

Which industries dominate?

Registered economy: computer software, internet, information technology and services lead 43,671 tracked companies · biggest tracked employer: Wells Fargo.

Registered companies by industry
Street economy — mapped places
Summary

Technology is the anchor, not the whole economy. It scores 10/10 in the blended sector measure, while retail, manufacturing and healthcare each score 9/10; the registry also has substantial finance, marketing and wellness clusters.

WATCH Watch whether healthcare and finance deepen alongside technology rather than merely orbit it.
Open the full data →

company registry (startup-skewed) + mapped business places

Economy

Is this city good for manufacturing?

Emerging Base (1/4 signals) — each signal below is a live threshold that can fail.

  • 451 of 43671 registered startups/companies (1%) are manufacturing-adjacent
  • infrastructure news share rising (up 0.8 points)
Summary

Manufacturing is visible in the broader sector footprint but thin as a company base. Its blended sector strength is 9/10, yet only 1% of registered companies are manufacturing-adjacent, producing an emerging-base score of 1/4.

WATCH Watch whether infrastructure attention becomes actual industrial capacity.
Open the full data →

computed verdict — each signal is a live threshold that can fail

Startups & capital
Startups

Is there VC activity?

12,828 of 43,671 tracked companies have raised outside money — #1 among its peer set.

Funded startups — peer cities
Summary

Funding activity is deep and current. Wispr closed $81 million in cumulative Series A funding, Netomi raised $110 million, and 12828 tracked companies have raised outside money—a long funding history alongside fresh deals.

WATCH Watch whether large rounds produce durable companies rather than another wave of closures.
Open the full data →

round amounts sparse for tier-3 cities — counts shown, dollar totals withheld

Startups

Is a startup ecosystem forming?

Formation is real — 13516 companies founded since 2018 — but capital progression is weak: deadpool 11.8%, and stages are dominated by Unfunded.

Companies founded by year
2026: 15420082026154
Stage distribution
Unfunded · 12247Deadpooled · 5426Seed · 3701Acquired · 2654Funding Raised · 2313Series A · 1360
Summary

Formation is relentless, and failure is routine. 13516 companies were founded since 2018, while 11.8% of all tracked companies have shut down; the registry lists 12247 as unfunded.

WATCH Watch whether new founders can move beyond unfunded status before churn catches them.
Open the full data →

gate: ≥150 companies & ≥20 recent founds — passed (43671/13516)

The knowledge engine
Research · Prism stance layer

What research is done IN San Francisco?

University of California, San Francisco leads ≈104,720 estimated works. 41% of oriented output reads promising/breakthrough — clusters in children's health, women's health, healthcare.

Institutions (papers in sample)
Research orientation
Opportunities (promising + breakthrough)
Children's Health · 179Women's Health · 162Healthcare · 135Breast Cancer · 106Mental Health · 96COVID-19 · 74HIV · 72
Cautions (cautionary + critical)
Women's Health · 67Children's Health · 59Healthcare · 56COVID-19 · 37Patients' Health · 30Mental Health · 22HIV · 21
Problems flagged
Healthcare · 190Women's Health · 130Children's Health · 107Mental Health · 84COVID-19 · 79HIV · 68Patient Care · 54
Also: research ABOUT San Francisco →
Summary

The city produces overwhelmingly health-led research. UCSF accounts for 11078 of 14960 papers in the partial record, with children’s health, women’s health, breast cancer and mental health among the areas showing strongest promise.

WATCH Watch whether strong health research turns more promising work into breakthroughs.
Open the full data →

figures marked ≈ are scaled estimates from a partial sample · Prism stance layer over 2017+ papers

Research · Prism stance layer

What research is done FOR San Francisco?

Narrower but distinct: 8907 title-matched works study San Francisco itself — led by historical art and architecture studies, magnetic confinement fusion research, business, innovation, and economy.

Top topics in city-focused research
Works about the city by year
2026: 212000202621
Summary

Research about San Francisco is unexpectedly eclectic. Historical art and architecture leads with 26 papers, just ahead of magnetic confinement fusion at 25, while homelessness, LGBTQ health and Latin American urban studies also feature.

WATCH Watch whether homelessness and public health gain ground in research focused on the city.
Open the full data →

papers whose title or entities mention San Francisco (any author location) · partial sample · distinct from research done at the city's institutions

The pulse
News pulse

What is the news saying?

News attention is 38% negative-toned (typical for city civic coverage) — the volume trend tracks total attention on San Francisco.

Monthly news-feature volume
2026-05-01: 492023-012026-0549
Summary

The mood is strained rather than uniformly bleak: 38% of coverage reads negative. In the latest window, healthcare attention rose 239% and crime attention rose 45%, even as governance and infrastructure themes cooled.

WATCH Watch whether the recent crime and healthcare surge persists or fades with the next news cycle.
Open the full data →

from location-tagged news · sentiment skew is a property of news, not the city

Need to go deeper than a city?

Fliar Prism answers any market, company or research question with the same depth — real-time, across every industry.

Explore Fliar Prism →