City Stories Index · United States · 2026 edition
San Francisco vs Washington D.C.
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Washington D.C. leads 3–1 (2 within the tie margin). Character is a different question: San Francisco is the gold rush city; Washington D.C. is the planned capital.
Change the matchup
| What we measure | San Francisco | Washington D.C. | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 60 | 63 | tie |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 329 | 344 | tie |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 4 | 12 | Washington D.C. |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 23 | 33 | Washington D.C. |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 22 | 25 | Washington D.C. |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 6 | 2 | San Francisco |
Differences under 5% count as ties. Sample sizes and definitions on the methodology page.
What their stories are about
How many places with a story each city has per theme: San Francisco in orange, Washington D.C. in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
San FranciscoWashington D.C.
11 places
arts & culture25 places
1 place
legends & myths9 places
9 places
industry & modern era5 places
9 places
parks & leisure8 places
7 places
crime & dark history3 places
7 places
guilds & trade0 places
San Francisco scorecard →
The gold rush city
Washington D.C. scorecard →
The planned capital