San Francisco: patents and startups, not homes, drive our count

San Francisco has about 29,200 residents of Asian Indian descent, up about 26% from about 23,200 in the 2015–2019 survey [1][2]. They are 3.5% of the city and county [1][3].

What sets San Francisco apart in our data is the evidence behind it. Our database places 1,099 people there at an estimated $1M+, and home values support just 50 of those estimates [8]. Patents, public pay, startup filings and other public signals carry the rest [8].

• 29,237 residents of Asian Indian descent (alone or in combination) in San Francisco County, California, 2020–2024 average [1], or 3.5% of the population [3].
• +25.8% versus the 2015–2019 estimate of 23,242 [1][2] (our calculation).
• 1,099 people in the HeyAlbert database placed in San Francisco County, California at an estimated $1M+, of whom 537 are in our $5M+ bands [8].

Where San Francisco County, California's Indian-American residents live, by place

The Census Bureau's American Community Survey counts 29,237 people who report Asian Indian ancestry, alone or with another group, in San Francisco County, California [1]. San Francisco is the largest community, with 100% of the county total [4]–[7] (our calculation).

Place	Asian Indian residents	Share of place
San Francisco	29,237	3.5%

Asian Indian alone or in any combination. Sources: ACS 5-year estimates [4]–[7]; totals from Table B01003. Change and share are our calculations. Estimates carry margins of error.

San Francisco is a single city and county, so the Census tables have no place-level breakdown inside it [4]–[7]. The city holds about 0.6% of the country's Asian Indian population [1]. The growth of about 26% between the two survey periods is our calculation from the two estimates [1][2]; part of it may reflect the Census Bureau's 2020 change in how detailed race responses are coded.

What the HeyAlbert database shows in San Francisco County, California

HeyAlbert builds profiles of Indian-American individuals with an estimated net worth of $1M or more from public records, and every estimate is tied to a cited source. Our database currently places 1,099 such people in San Francisco County, California [8]. That is a count of people we have found and estimated, not a census of wealthy households: our coverage is partial and uneven.

Estimated net-worth band	People in our database
$5M+	537
$1M–5M	562
Total, $1M+	1,099

Source: HeyAlbert database [8]. Bands are estimates from public evidence; $5M+ combines our $5–15M and $25M+ tiers. Cells under 25 are suppressed.

City	$1M+	of which $5M+
San Francisco	1,072	537

Source: HeyAlbert database [8]. Cities with 25+ people at $1M+; cells under 25 shown as <25. The city is where our sources place the person; for some records it is a workplace rather than a home. Cities in our database are matched by name to the Census places and townships in the county; a few that straddle a county line are counted whole, and large cities that extend well beyond the county are left out.

Of the 1,099 people in our San Francisco set, 537 are in our $5M+ bands and 562 in the $1M–5M band [8]. That is close to half at $5M+ (our calculation). The city table shows 1,072 of them with San Francisco recorded as their city; the city table leaves out records placed by a workplace or charity address [8]. 47 people in the set have at least one public giving signal, and no single cause reaches 25 people [8].

Why our San Francisco County, California count looks the way it does

Each estimate in our database rests on a primary piece of public evidence. The mix differs from place to place, depending on which records we have been able to process, and it shapes the counts above more than any real difference in wealth does [8].

Primary evidence for the estimate	People	Share
Other public signals (executive roles, company filings, gifts, pay)	571	52%
Patent inventors (with company context)	252	23%
Public-sector salary records	101	9%
Startup executive (SEC Form D)	65	6%
Home value (public assessor or listing records)	50	5%
Y Combinator founder	32	3%

Source: HeyAlbert database [8], people at $1M+. Categories under 25 not shown.

Other public signals, such as executive roles, company filings, gifts and pay, are the primary evidence for 571 estimates [8]. Patents account for 252, public-sector salary records for 101, startup executive filings (SEC Form D) for 65 and Y Combinator founders for 32 [8]. Home values account for 50 [8]. In San Francisco, work and ownership records do most of the work, and this mix goes with the high $5M+ share above [8]. Some of these records place a person where they work rather than where they live, so part of this set may live elsewhere in the Bay Area [8].

What it means if you work with these families

For advisors and nonprofits, San Francisco's wealth in our data is tied to careers and companies more than to houses [8]. Equity events, patents and founder exits are the signals that move these families, and our 1,099 profiles show which public record each estimate rests on [8].

Methodology

Census figures are American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020–2024 and 2015–2019, Table B02018, using “Asian Indian, alone or in any combination” [1][2]. Total population comes from Table B01003 [3]. The Census Bureau changed how it codes detailed race responses in 2020, so part of the change between the two periods may reflect coding rather than migration. All estimates carry margins of error. Shares and growth rates are our calculations.

HeyAlbert counts are aggregates from our database as of October 31, 2026 [8]. They include people we identified as likely of Indian origin with an estimated net worth of $1M or more, based on public records such as property assessments, professional licenses, patents, SEC filings and donor rolls. Coverage is partial and depends on which public records exist and which we have processed. These counts are not population totals. Any cell under 25 is suppressed, and we publish aggregates only, never individual records.

Related

• Indian-American wealth in the Bay Area: three in five in our data are $5M+
• Indian-American wealth in California: where the $5M+ tier lives
• Indian-American wealth in San Mateo County: a small community, a large top tier
• Indian-American wealth in Santa Clara County: 1 in 24 Indian Americans, two-thirds $5M+

HeyAlbert finds Indian-American families worth $1M+ and tells you who to call, with every fact cited. See who is in San Francisco County, California at heyalbert.site.

Sources

1. ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates, Table B02018, all counties. US Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B02018?g=010XX00US$0500000 (data: machine-readable)
2. ACS 2015–2019 5-year estimates, Table B02018, all counties. US Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2019.B02018?g=010XX00US$0500000 (data: machine-readable)
3. ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates, Table B01003, all counties. US Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B01003?g=010XX00US$0500000 (data: machine-readable)
4. ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates, Table B02018, places in San Francisco County, California. US Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B02018?g=050XX00US06075$1600000 (data: machine-readable)
5. ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates, Table B01003, places in San Francisco County, California. US Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B01003?g=050XX00US06075$1600000 (data: machine-readable)
6. ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates, Table B02018, county subdivisions in San Francisco County, California. US Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B02018?g=050XX00US06075$0600000 (data: machine-readable)
7. ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates, Table B01003, county subdivisions in San Francisco County, California. US Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B01003?g=050XX00US06075$0600000 (data: machine-readable)
8. HeyAlbert database, aggregate counts (snapshot as of October 31, 2026); how we build it is described on our methodology page. HeyAlbert. https://heyalbert.site/research/methodology/