Virtual data rooms for San Francisco deals, audits and legal matters

What sets San Francisco's economy apart

Compared with the United States as a whole, the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro has an unusually large share of its businesses in publishing, including software publishing: 1,758 establishments, 3.4 times the national share. Next come data processing and hosting (744 establishments, 2.5 times) and internet and other information services (478 establishments, 2.2 times). Of the 61 metros on these pages with published figures for publishing, including software publishing, San Francisco ranks 2nd, behind Wilmington, DE.

Software and publishing deals put source-code escrow terms, licenses and subscriber metrics in front of investors and acquirers.

Hosting and data businesses share security audits, customer contracts and infrastructure leases during diligence. In data processing and hosting, San Francisco places 2nd of 60 metros here; Wilmington, DE leads.

How San Francisco compares

The Census Bureau estimated the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro's population at 4,648,486 in July 2024, down 105,169 or 2.2 percent on the April 2020 base of 4,753,655.

Measured against the 2023 estimate of 4,609,445, the same year as the business count, San Francisco has 64.7 offices of lawyers per 100,000 residents, 13th of the 59 metro areas on these pages against a median of 52.6; the nearest rates are New York, NY at 64.6 and Atlanta, GA at 63.9.

The metro with the closest number of law offices is Boston, MA, with 2,967; the metro closest in population, Riverside, CA at 4,744,214 residents, has 985 law offices and 1,371 accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll establishments.

Counted by accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll firms instead, San Francisco's nearest match is Philadelphia, PA, with 2,222.

• Residents, July 2024: 4,648,486
• Residents, April 2020 base: 4,753,655
• Change since 2020: -105,169 (-2.2 percent), 56th of 59
• Law offices per 100,000 residents: 64.7, 13th of 59
• Accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll per 100,000 residents: 45.4, 22nd of 59
• Securities and investment per 100,000 residents: 63.7, 2nd of 59
• Managing offices per 100,000 residents: 18.2, 12th of 59
• Real estate agents and brokers per 100,000 residents: 64.9, 23rd of 59
• Employees in offices of lawyers: about 26,000
• Employees in accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll: about 20,000

The courts and regulators behind San Francisco paperwork

When a San Francisco dispute reaches federal court, it goes to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

CPAs practicing in California are licensed by the California Board of Accountancy.

If personal information in a San Francisco deal, audit or case file is exposed, California's data breach notification law sets who has to be told and when.