San Francisco's Decline is a Warning to Other American Cities

Struggling with rampant homelessness, a drug crisis, surging crime and several business closures, San Francisco is no longer the thriving city it used to be. Its decline in recent months has led some to say the city "is dying"—especially as its citizens move elsewhere.

A quarter of a million people have reportedly fled the Bay Area since the beginning of 2020. According to U.S. Census estimates, San Francisco's population dropped by 7.2 percent between 2020 and 2021 and by 0.3 percent between 2021 and 2022.

This exodus, sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic and the change in working habits that came with it, continued in 2022 even as the health emergency drew to a close. While life in other big cities started getting back to normal, San Francisco and the Bay Area continued to shrink, although at a slower pace.