Bay Area Demographics

The nine-county San Francisco Bay Area represents one of the world’s great regional economies, successfully competing in the global market as a knowledge-based economy powered by its wealth of research, technology, and innovation.

 If the Bay Area were a country it would rank about
 21st in the world.

Gross Regional Product: Exceeds $200 billion—
ranks fifth in the U.S.

Population: 6.7 million with three metropolitan centers—
San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland

Per Capita Income: $65,000

Household Income: $83,839

Average Labor Force Supply: 3,790,900
(State of California, Employment Development Department, Labor Market Information Division, December, 2001)

Occupations: More than one third in managerial, professional or technical operations. The region is in the top ranking nationally for its proportion of scientists, lawyers, computer programmers, musicians, engineers, business consultants, authors, physicians and artists.

Unemployment Rate: 5.4 percent
(Bureau of Labor Statistics, February 2002)

Major Industries:
Computers and Electronics
Telecommunications
Bioscience/Biotechnology/Health Services
Banking and Financial Serices
Business Services
Visitor and Tourism
Retail and Wholesale Trade
Agribusiness and Food Processing

Significant Growth Industries:
Multimedia
Movie and Television Production
Environmental Technology

International Trade:
1999 Exports—$44 billion in merchandise
San Jose (Silicon Valley) top exporting metro area in country—total of over $28 billion in exports in 1999, and a growth rate of 75% from 1993–1999
(U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Intl. Trade Administration, Office of Trade and Economic Analysis, 2000)

International Airports:
San Francisco
Oakland
San Jose

International Seaports:
Oakland
San Francisco

Specialized Cargo Ports:
Richmond
Redwood City
Alameda
Benicia

Interstate Highways:
I- 5, 80, 280, 380, 580,680, 780, 880, 980

U.S. Highways: 101

Housing: Wide range throughout region. Expensive in major cities. (Individual Marketing Partnership members can provide housing cost ranges within their counties.)