Bay Area Economic Snapshot

The Bay Area is the fifth largest metro area in the country, with a population of over 6.7 million, three metropolitan centers—San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland—and nine counties, each with its own distinct economic strength.

The Bay Area’s combination of world-class research universities, national research laboratories, international research institutes, thousands of high-tech industries and a highly-skilled, innovative workforce results in extraordinarily powerful synergies throughout the region that fuel one of the world’s preeminent knowledge-based economies.

 Some Notable Statistics

• The Bay Area has the highest number of top-ranked graduate programs in the nation for science, math and engineering
• The Bay Area has the highest percentage of fastest-growing small businesses in the country
• The Bay Area has the highest density of venture capital firms in the world
• Extraordinary venture capital investment of 36 percent continues to draw one third of the venture capital investment in the U.S. (Although it represents only 2 percent of the population.)
• The highest level of professionals and graduate degrees are in the Bay Area
• The highest concentration of research centers
• More than double the average number of patents per employee than any other region in the U.S.
• Largest share of high-tech exports
• The Bay Area is the most productive region in the United States with an 84 percent advantage over the U.S. average of output per capita
• 26 Fortune 500 companies are headquartered here, second behind New York, a state triple our size
• 12 percent of the region’s employees belong to gazelle companies with sales growth of 20 percent per year
• The Bay Area ranks first or second in 8 out of 10 business clusters
• The Bay Area has more patents than any other region in the U.S.

The Bay Area has a national competitive advantage in industries which are knowledge-based.

The Bay Area also produces some of the best wines in the world and is a leading region in agriculture and food processing, petrochemicals and the visitor and tourism industries.

The Bay Area “markets to the world,” with $44 billion in merchandise exported in 1999. It is a major distribution center with:

• 3 international airports
• Major international seaport facilities
• 3 foreign trade zones

Where We Are

The ideal business location—equidistant from Asia and Europe. Companies conduct business with both parts of the world in the same day.

Diversity and Global Orientation

The Bay Area may be the most international region in the nation. It has a strong network of linkages with other nations in all parts of the world. It is:

• One of the most ethnically diverse regions in the nation
• Proud of its rich culture representing the entire world
• Comfortable for people from all countries