San Francisco
San Francisco, United States, scores 71 on the CIRA Index of tourism resilience, #40 of 309 destinations. 27 of 29 measures come from public sources, with 84% confidence. Every grade below states its value, period and source.
Scores by each organisation's criteria
- CIRA Index: 71
- OECD: 72
- UN Tourism: 71
- UNDRR: 69
Strongest
- Unemployment rate: 4.2 % of the labour force (California Employment Development Department (EDD), San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD Press Release, August 2026). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
- Extreme heat days: 0.8 days a year at or above 35°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
- Tropical nights: 0 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 10: grade 4/4.
Weakest
- Resident support for tourism: 49 % of residents who say tourism benefits them or the city (region figure) (Visit California & Omnitrak, California Resident Sentiment on Travel and Tourism, 2025). Between 40 and 50: grade 1/4.
- Wildfire and storm hazard: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4.
- Flood hazard: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4.
United States in the World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Development Index
United States is #2 of 110 countries (5.23 of 7) in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026, which scores countries, not cities. Cities in countries with that WEF score average 70 on the CIRA Index; San Francisco is 1 above that.
Every measure, by theme
Demand and seasonality: 80
- Nights in the three busiest months: 28.4 % of annual nights (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: UN Tourism by United Nations World Tourism Organization), 2024, 2025 moving average). At or below 30: grade 4/4. Source
- Domestic share of nights: 72.6 % of nights by residents of the same country (San Francisco Travel Association & Tourism Economics, San Francisco Visitor Volume and Direct Spending Estimates (published October 2024), 2023). At or above 45: grade 4/4. Source
- Largest foreign market: not measured yet
- Recovery against 2019: 90.5 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (San Francisco Travel Association, 2025 Visitor Impact Results / 2026 Forecast, 2025). Between 90 and 100: grade 2/4. Source
- Average length of stay: 4.2 nights per visitor (San Francisco Travel Association / Future Partners, 2022 Visitor Profile Study (cited in San Francisco Travel Association Advertising Opportunities 2025), 2022). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4. Source
- Hotel bed or room occupancy: 64.2 % average annual occupancy (San Francisco Travel Association, 2023). Between 55 and 65: grade 2/4. Source
Economy and jobs: 94
- Jobs in tourism industries: 6.3 % of employment in accommodation and food services (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: Travel & Tourism Economic Impact Research by World Travel & Tourism Council; Travel & Tourism by World Travel & Tourism Council), 2026). At or below 8: grade 4/4. Source
- Unemployment rate: 4.2 % of the labour force (California Employment Development Department (EDD), San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD Press Release, August 2026). At or below 5: grade 4/4. Source
- Income per head: 90,027 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). At or above 60,000: grade 4/4. Source
- Economic diversity: 78.9 % of employment outside accommodation, food, retail and transport (metro figure) (California Employment Development Department (EDD), Labor Market Information Division, August 2026). Between 72 and 80: grade 3/4. Source
Climate and hazards: 65
- Extreme heat days: 0.8 days a year at or above 35°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 5: grade 4/4. Source
- Tropical nights: 0 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 10: grade 4/4. Source
- Flood hazard: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4. Source
- Wildfire and storm hazard: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4. Source
- Country disaster risk: 3.3 INFORM Risk index, 0–10 (country figure) (INFORM Risk (European Commission JRC), INFORM Risk Mid 2026, 2026). Between 2 and 3.5: grade 3/4. Source
Water and environment: 63
- Water scarcity: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4. Source
- Wastewater safely treated: 100 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), Wastewater Collection & Treatment System, 2024). At or above 95: grade 4/4. Source
- Municipal waste per resident: 513.8 kg per resident per year (San Francisco Planning Department / CalRecycle, Potrero Power Station Mixed-Use Project EIR / CalRecycle Jurisdiction Review, 2022). Between 450 and 550: grade 2/4. Source
- Green space: 13.7 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (San Francisco Public Works, Tree Protection & Urban Tree Canopy Analysis, 2024). Between 10 and 20: grade 1/4. Source
Community and housing: 33
- Tourism intensity: not measured yet
- Cruise pressure: not measured yet
- Rent growth: 11.7 % change in rents over the last 12 months (metro figure) (Chandan Economics / Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI), reported in CRE Daily, August 2025 – August 2026). Between 10 and 15: grade 1/4. Source
- Short-let density: 1.8 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (Inside Airbnb and U.S. Census Bureau (2024 ACS 1-Year Estimates), 2024–2026). Between 1 and 2: grade 2/4. Source
- Resident support for tourism: 49 % of residents who say tourism benefits them or the city (region figure) (Visit California & Omnitrak, California Resident Sentiment on Travel and Tourism, 2025). Between 40 and 50: grade 1/4. Source
Access and continuity: 88
- Access redundancy: 3 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Port of San Francisco, Caltrans, SFO Airport, 2026). Between 3 and 4: grade 3/4. Source
- Air traffic recovery: not measured yet
- Rail share of intercity access: not measured yet
- Rail traffic recovery: not measured yet
- Largest airline group share: not measured yet
- Air route concentration: not measured yet
- Early warning and emergency plan: An updated, tested plan that names visitors and tourism operators, with warnings in several languages (City and County of San Francisco (SF.gov), 2025-2026). Grade 4/4. Source
- Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A written destination crisis plan (San Francisco Travel Association, 2025). Grade 2/4. Source
- Government effectiveness: 84 World Bank WGI percentile rank, 0–100 (country figure) (World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025). At or above 80: grade 4/4. Source
- Travel advisory: 1 stricter of the US and Canadian government advisory for the country, 1 (normal precautions) to 4 (do not travel) (country figure) (US State Department and Government of Canada travel advisories, 2026-09-29). At or below 1: grade 4/4. Source
- Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source plus a reserve or stabilisation fund for downturns (San Francisco Tourism Improvement District (SFTID), 2025-2026). Grade 4/4. Source
Compare San Francisco
- Los Angeles vs San Francisco
- San Francisco vs Seattle
- New Orleans vs San Francisco
- San Francisco vs Washington
- Orlando vs San Francisco
- Chicago vs San Francisco
The CIRA Index ranking · City vs city · How the index works · CIRA Studio · Put your city in the pilot