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Real Estate Prices & Overview

Chinatown West median real estate price is $1,266,865, which is more expensive than 69.8% of the neighborhoods in California and 92.8% of the neighborhoods in the U.S.

The average rental price in Chinatown West is currently $1,579, based on NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis. Rents here are currently lower in price than 97.2% of California neighborhoods.

Chinatown West is a densely urban neighborhood (based on population density) located in San Francisco, California.

Chinatown West real estate is primarily made up of small (studio to two bedroom) to medium sized (three or four bedroom) apartment complexes/high-rise apartments and small apartment buildings. Most of the residential real estate is renter occupied. Many of the residences in the Chinatown West neighborhood are relatively historic, built no later than 1939, and in some cases, quite a bit earlier. A number of residences were also built between 1940 and 1969.

Chinatown West has a 14.2% vacancy rate, which is well above average compared to other U.S. neighborhoods (higher than 78.0% of American neighborhoods). Most vacant housing here is vacant year round. This could either signal that there is a weak demand for real estate in the neighborhood or that large amount of new housing has been built and not yet occupied. Either way, if you live here, you may find many of the homes or apartments are empty.

Notable & Unique Neighborhood Characteristics

When you see a neighborhood for the first time, the most important thing is often the way it looks, like its homes and its setting. Some places look the same, but they only reveal their true character after living in them for a while because they contain a unique mix of occupational or cultural groups. This neighborhood is very unique in some important ways, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive exploration and analysis.

Real Estate

What you'll find when you visit or move to this neighborhood is one of the most crowded neighborhoods in all of America. With an incredible 77,676 people per square mile, it is more densely populated than 99.3% of America's neighborhoods. Even if you drive or take transit to your place of employment, many people enjoy being able to walk in their neighborhood. What many people don't realize is that most of America's premier vacation locations are also very walkable. The Chinatown West neighborhood is among the top 5% of American neighborhoods in terms of walkability.

In addition, renter-occupied real estate is dominant in the Chinatown West neighborhood. The percentage of rental real estate here, according to exclusive NeighborhoodScout analysis, is 92.9%, which is higher than 97.5% of the neighborhoods in America. If you were to buy and live in the property you bought here, you would be almost alone in doing so.

Furthermore, the real estate in the Chinatown West neighborhood really stands out in the way it looks for a unique reason: this neighborhood has a higher proportion of apartment complexes or high-rise apartments than nearly every neighborhood in the country. Most neighborhoods are a mixture of real estate and housing types, but here it is almost entirely dominated by big apartment buildings and complexes. In fact, 80.9% of the real estate here is classified as apartment complexes or high-rise apartments, which is more than is found in 96.8% of American neighborhoods.

Also of note, if you find historic homes and neighborhoods attractive, you love the details, the history, and the charm, then you are sure to be interested in this neighborhood. With 63.8% of the residential real estate in the Chinatown West neighborhood built no later than 1939, and some built considerably earlier, this neighborhood has a greater concentration of historic residences than 97.6% of all neighborhoods in America. In this regard, this neighborhood truly stands out as special.

Modes of Transportation

More people in Chinatown West choose to walk to work each day (32.5%) than almost any neighborhood in America. If you are attracted to the idea of being able to walk to work, this neighborhood could be a good choice.

Also, more people ride the bus in this neighborhood each day to get to work than 97.0% of U.S. neighborhoods.

Finally, in the Chinatown West neighborhood, many people's commute means walking from the bedroom to the home office. NeighborhoodScout's analysis found that 36.5% of residents worked from home. This may not seem like a large number, but Scout's research shows that this is a higher percentage of people working from home than 96.8% of the neighborhoods in America. Often people who work from home are engaged in the creative or technological economy, such as is found in areas around Boston, and in Silicon Valley. Other times, people may be engaged in other businesses like trading stocks from home, or running a small beauty salon.

Car Ownership

American households most often have a car, and regularly they have two or three. But households in the Chinatown West neighborhood buck this trend. 55.5% of the households in this neighborhood don't own a car at all. This is more carless households than NeighborhoodScout found in 99.0% of U.S. neighborhoods.

People

One of the most interesting things about the Chinatown West neighborhood is that it has a greater concentration of residents who live alone than most all neighborhoods in America. With 54.2% of the households here made up of people living alone, NeighborhoodScout's research reveals that this is a larger proportion of people living alone than in 97.2% of the neighborhoods in America.

In addition, one of the unique characteristics of the Chinatown West neighborhood revealed by analysis is that the per capita income of residents here is lower than that found in 96.6% of the neighborhoods in America.

Diversity

Did you know that the Chinatown West neighborhood has more Asian and Lithuanian ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 71.7% of this neighborhood's residents have Asian ancestry and 1.9% have Lithuanian ancestry.

Chinatown West is also pretty special linguistically. Significantly, 60.4% of its residents five years old and above primarily speak Chinese at home. This is a higher percentage than 100.0% of all U.S. neighborhoods.

Migration / Stability

The freedom of moving to new places versus the comfort of home. How much and how often people move not only can create diverse and worldly neighborhoods, but simultaneously it can produce a loss of intimacy with one's surroundings and a lack of connectedness to one's neighbors. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research has identified this neighborhood as unique with regard to the transience of its populace. What is interesting to note, is that the Chinatown West neighborhood has a greater percentage of residents born in another country (60.9%) than are found in 99.2% of all U.S. neighborhoods.

The Neighbors

How wealthy a neighborhood is, from very wealthy, to middle income, to low income is very formative with regard to the personality and character of a neighborhood. Equally important is the rate of people, particularly children, who live below the federal poverty line. In some wealthy gated communities, the areas immediately surrounding can have high rates of childhood poverty, which indicates other social issues. NeighborhoodScout's analysis reveals both aspects of income and poverty for this neighborhood.

The neighbors in the Chinatown West neighborhood in San Francisco are low income, making it among the lowest income neighborhoods in America. NeighborhoodScout's research shows that this neighborhood has an income lower than 96.6% of U.S. neighborhoods. With 32.2% of the children here below the federal poverty line, this neighborhood has a higher rate of childhood poverty than 84.0% of U.S. neighborhoods.

A neighborhood is far different if it is dominated by enlisted military personnel rather than people who earn their living by farming. It is also different if most of the neighbors are clerical support or managers. What is wonderful is the sheer diversity of neighborhoods, allowing you to find the type that fits your lifestyle and aspirations.

In the Chinatown West neighborhood, 41.1% of the working population is employed in executive, management, and professional occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations, with 25.1% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants (24.1%), and 9.7% in manufacturing and laborer occupations.

Languages

The most common language spoken in the Chinatown West neighborhood is Chinese, spoken by 60.4% of households. Some people also speak English (31.2%).

Ethnicity / Ancestry

Boston's Beacon Hill blue-blood streets, Brooklyn's Orthodox Jewish enclaves, Los Angeles' Persian neighborhoods. Each has its own culture derived primarily from the ancestries and culture of the residents who call these neighborhoods home. Likewise, each neighborhood in America has its own culture – some more unique than others – based on lifestyle, occupations, the types of households – and importantly – on the ethnicities and ancestries of the people who live in the neighborhood. Understanding where people came from, who their grandparents or great-grandparents were, can help you understand how a neighborhood is today.

In the Chinatown West neighborhood in San Francisco, CA, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as Asian (71.7%). There are also a number of people of Italian ancestry (4.6%), and residents who report Spanish roots (2.6%), and some of the residents are also of German ancestry (2.2%), along with some Mexican ancestry residents (2.2%), among others. In addition, 60.9% of the residents of this neighborhood were born in another country.

Getting to Work

Even if your neighborhood is walkable, you may still have to drive to your place of work. Some neighborhoods are located where many can get to work in just a few minutes, while others are located such that most residents have a long and arduous commute. The greatest number of commuters in Chinatown West neighborhood spend between 15 and 30 minutes commuting one-way to work (46.3% of working residents), which is shorter than the time spent commuting to work for most Americans.

Here most residents (32.5%) hop out the door and walk to work to get to work. In addition, quite a number also ride the bus to get to work (13.0%) and 9.7% of residents also drive alone in a private automobile for their daily commute. This is a special neighborhood for the number of people who walk to work. Combining exercise, low cost, and reduced pollution, plus the chance to see your neighbors, walking to work is fairly uncommon in America but likely to increase as people try to reduce their dependence on automobiles, and this neighborhood offers that opportunity today.

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