As national publications, local news pundits, and other talking heads around the country decried the death of California throughout the pandemic, eleven of San Francisco's 51 zip codes made their way onto a new list of the most expensive real estate property values in the USA for 2020. This makes the SF the highest concentration of any city in the country, per data from PropertyShark. In fact, 50 of America's top 100 were in the Bay — a staggering fact when we consider the region's population compared to that of the entire nation.
Just 1.44% of the population of the USA lives in the San Francisco Bay Area Metro Region — defined by Neilsen as Mendocino, Lake, Sonoma, Napa, Marin, Solano West, Contra Costa, Alameda, San Mateo, and Santa Clara Counties. Despite our relatively small population size, the area accounts for 50% of the country's highest priced median home values.
Of the total 121 zip codes that made the list, California accounted for 87. New York followed with 20.
California and New York have historically featured the bulk of the most expensive real estate in the country. Of the top 100 most expensive, only 11 states even made the list at all.
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Connecticut and Nevada also added two zip codes each with high median home prices, while Arizona, Florida, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey and Washington each contributed one, mostly in the bottom quarter of our list. Notable exceptions were Florida’s 33109, which landed at #23 and Washington, D.C.’s 98039 at #9, both of which are veterans of pricey real estate. Still, they are not even close to the Bay Area.
As the uncontested epicenter of expensive housing, the Bay Area alone is home to 50 of the most expensive zip codes, including six of the 10 priciest. Fueled by Silicon Valley’s economic influence, the entire area has been characterized by sky-high prices for decades, while simultaneously becoming a housing mecca for the super-rich. An estimated half of the world’s tech billionaires reside in the Bay Area, many of whom own homes in Atherton, which — with median home prices at $7 million — remains the most exclusive zip code in the nation. As previously reported, Marin County's Ross came in at #4 nationally, after increasing by a staggering 8% in a single year.
In Silicon Valley and the greater Bay Area, 74 billionaires make their home, 14 more than lived here in 2016. That increase allowed it to jump to third in the world for billionaires, leaping over Moscow and London (which have 69 and 62, respectively). Only New York (103) and Hong Kong (93) are home to more billionaires. Over the last twenty years, Big Tech has created a digital gold mine for a lucky few who had the smarts with the right idea at the right time. What's even more exciting is the next round of potential "crypto-millionaires" with this years cycle.
San Francisco County, which fully overlaps the City of San Francisco, featured 11 zip codes among the nation’s most expensive. As a result, San Francisco was the city with the highest number of pricey zip codes for the fourth consecutive year. Although it didn’t rank any zips among the 10 priciest, its top two zip codes still posted medians above the $2 million mark which isn't too shabby.
The Cow Hollow’s 94123 was the #36 most expensive zip with a $2,150,000 median sale price, followed by the Inner Richmond District’s 94118 at #42 with its $2,028,000 median. What’s more, prices grew in both areas, with the Marina District up 7% over 2019, while the Richmond District gained a more modest 2% over year-ago figures.
So, if you're looking to rub shoulders and get your coffee with the elite of San Francisco, make sure to check out these neighborhoods with a top San Francisco real estate agent — and of course a sizable bank account.
