Living in San Francisco, I often get asked whether SF is a good city to live in or not.

Amidst this, last October, President Trump announced that he would consider deploying military forces to San Francisco to reduce crime and violence, which heightened the atmosphere. It was a statement that could not be overlooked by those living in SF, as it implied that the military could potentially enter the city.

However, when we look at the actual crime data, a different picture emerges from the news headlines. Analyzing the trends from 2019 to 2025, we see that overall crime in San Francisco has significantly decreased.

Crimes such as robbery, aggravated assault, and carjacking have noticeably declined. As of the first half of 2025, aggravated assault is about 10 percent lower than in 2019, and robbery has decreased by a remarkable 38 percent. Carjacking has also dropped by 19 percent during the same period.

Particularly interesting is the aspect of auto theft. While the average in major U.S. cities has increased by over 25 percent compared to 2019, San Francisco has actually seen a 17 percent decrease. This might be because there are many electric vehicles like Teslas here, making them harder to steal.

However, gun-related assaults have increased by 12 percent during the same period, and shoplifting has risen by 20 percent.

Notably, drug-related crimes have surged by 114 percent compared to 2019. This is something anyone living in SF would likely be aware of. Walking through downtown or the Soma area, one can see that the number of addicts has significantly increased.

Looking specifically at assaults, the rate was about 197 incidents per 100,000 people in the first half of 2022, but it has dropped to around 149 in the first half of 2025. This indicates a decrease of over 20 percent. Compared to other major cities, this decline is quite significant.

When looking at this data, it seems that San Francisco is neither a completely broken city nor one where all problems have been solved.

There is a clear polarization depending on the type of crime. While traditional violent crimes are decreasing, everyday crimes like gun violence, drug offenses, and shoplifting are becoming more pronounced.

As an ordinary citizen living in SF, I feel that it is necessary to calmly observe which crimes are decreasing and which issues are worsening. In my opinion, rather than the entire city deteriorating, it seems that the types of crime have shifted to those that are more felt in daily life.