Boston vs San Francisco
Boston leads San Francisco by 4 points on the TRAIL Index, 75 to 71. Boston grades better on 7 measures, San Francisco on 7; the same 37 measures from public sources for both.
Scores by each organisation's criteria
- TRAIL Index: Boston 75, San Francisco 71
- OECD: Boston 76, San Francisco 72
- UN Tourism: Boston 74, San Francisco 71
- UNDRR: Boston 65, San Francisco 69
Theme by theme
- Demand and seasonality: Boston 85, San Francisco 80
- Economy and jobs: Boston 100, San Francisco 94
- Climate and hazards: Boston 65, San Francisco 65
- Water and environment: Boston 56, San Francisco 63
- Community and housing: Boston 63, San Francisco 33
- Access and continuity: Boston 83, San Francisco 88
Where Boston is stronger
- Hotel bed or room occupancy: 77.3 % average annual occupancy (metro figure) (Meet Boston, Hotel Statistics (Pinnacle Advisory Group), 2025). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
- Economic diversity: 81.6 % of employment outside accommodation, food, retail and transport (metro figure) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Boston Area Employment — June 2025, June 2025). At or above 80: grade 4/4.
- Wildfire and storm hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
- Water scarcity: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4.
- Green space: 28.5 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (City of Boston Parks and Recreation Department, 2019-2024 Tree Canopy Assessment, 2019-2024). Between 20 and 30: grade 2/4.
- Rent growth: 1.3 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Apartment List, Boston, MA Rent Report (September 2026), August 2025–August 2026). At or below 3: grade 4/4.
- Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Massport / Amtrak / MassDOT, 2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
Where San Francisco is stronger
- Average length of stay: 4.2 nights per visitor (San Francisco Travel Association / Future Partners, 2022 Visitor Profile Study (cited in San Francisco Travel Association Advertising Opportunities 2025), 2022). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4.
- Tropical nights: 0 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 10: grade 4/4.
- Wastewater safely treated: 100 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), Wastewater Collection & Treatment System, 2024). At or above 95: grade 4/4.
- Municipal waste per resident: 513.8 kg per resident per year (San Francisco Planning Department / CalRecycle, Potrero Power Station Mixed-Use Project EIR / CalRecycle Jurisdiction Review, 2022). Between 450 and 550: grade 2/4.
- Short-let density: 1.8 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (Inside Airbnb and U.S. Census Bureau (2024 ACS 1-Year Estimates), 2024–2026). Between 1 and 2: grade 2/4.
- Early warning and emergency plan: An updated, tested plan that names visitors and tourism operators, with warnings in several languages (City and County of San Francisco (SF.gov), 2025-2026). Grade 4/4.
- Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A written destination crisis plan (San Francisco Travel Association, 2025). Grade 2/4.
Country context (World Economic Forum)
- United States: #2 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
- United States: #2 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
Boston in full · San Francisco in full
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