San Francisco’s Sexually Transmitted Infection Rates Lower than Southern Cities

BY ERIC WELCH

While many cities have seen escalating numbers of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) over the past few years, San Francisco has experienced only modest increases. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, in 2020 San Francisco was ranked third highest among major U.S. cities in reported STI rates per 100,000 residences. By 2021, the City had dropped to 15th, as public health efforts successfully muffled transmission while elsewhere STI rates rose rapidly.

Due to the extensive work involved in data collection there’s typically a year and a half lag in issuance of CDC data. However, statistics released by the San Francisco Department of Health (SFDH) in February 2023, indicate that the number of STI cases was somewhat higher in 2022 compared to 2021, though December 2022 was slightly lower than December 2021.

SFDH data also shows an uptick in the number of HIV tests between 2021 and 2022, with 3,488 checks in 2021 compared

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