City Survey: Streets and Sidewalks

The City Survey objectively assesses San Francisco residents’ use of and satisfaction with various city services. It was conducted annually from 1996 through 2005, and biennially from 2005 through 2019. The 2021 survey was skipped due to the COVID-19 pandemic, surveying was resumed in 2023, and 2026 was the most recent survey.

Ratings are scored on a scale of A-Excellent to F-Failing. Most outcomes in the City Survey are developed by averaging responses to create a mean score using a five-point grading scale (A equals five points and F equals one point). 

For streets, respondents provide a grade for three questions, the cleanliness of streets and sidewalks in their neighborhood, the condition of sidewalk pavement and curb ramps in their neighborhood, and the condition of the street pavement in their neighborhood. These three ratings are averaged to create the overall streets rating.  

In 2015, the survey methodology changed from mail to phone. In 2023 the survey methodology changed to include phone, text, online, and intercept methods to reach a more representative sample of San Francisco residents. In 2026, methodology changed again, excluding intercept methods to avoid satisficing bias of in-person surveying. Therefore, differences in results between survey years with changing methodologies should be interpreted with caution.  

Survey results are weighted in order to make the sample more accurately match the distribution of San Francisco residents across demographic categories as reflected in the census. The averages displayed in reporting are the weighted averages. 

View and download City Survey data 

View the 2026 survey instrument to see exact language used in each question.  

View the 2026 City Survey detailed methodology.  

Visit the City Survey home page for more information.