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The Silicon Valley Institute for Regional Studies is the research arm of Joint Venture Silicon Valley, and is housed within the organization. Research topics focus on economic and community health issues within Silicon Valley and the greater Bay Area, as well as on broader regional issues. Learn more.

Institute Publications

Guaranteed Basic Income (October 2023)

coverOctober 25, 2023 - Joint Venture’s Institute has completed a report in partnership with the University of Washington School of Social Work, Center for Women’s Welfare on the merits of guaranteed basic income (GBI). Supported by a 2022-23 grant from the County of Santa Clara through Supervisor Susan Ellenberg’s office with additional support from Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Modeling Guaranteed Basic Income & Household Income Adequacy in Santa Clara County examines how GBI programs can help move families out of poverty and into economic security.

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Silicon Valley's “Hot” Housing Markets (October 2023)

coverOctober 25, 2023 - With one of the highest priced housing markets in the country, Silicon Valley’s median home sale price shot up to an all-time high of $1.53 million in 2022. The hottest Silicon Valley housing markets this summer were Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, and Fremont. Is demand changing the demographics within those sub-regional areas? Joint Venture’s research arm, partnered with Unacast to tap into aggregated mobile device location data. The analysis offers zip-code-level insights on characteristics ranging from age to poverty rate to migration patterns. 

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Data Release: Unemployment (September 2023)

September 15, 2023 – The unemployment rate in Silicon Valley increased to 3.7% in August from 3.4% in July, mirroring the 0.3 percentage point increase in unemployment throughout the Bay Area (3.7% to 4.0%), according to analysis by Joint Venture’s Institute for Regional Studies.

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Data Release: Unemployment (July 2023)

July 24, 2023 – The unemployment rate in Silicon Valley reached its highest level (3.5%) since October of 2021, when it was 3.8%. This follows a slight increase during the month prior (from mid-April to mid-May), according to an analysis by Joint Venture’s Institute for Regional Studies.

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Data Release: Unemployment (March 2023)

March 28, 2023 – The unemployment rate in Silicon Valley increased again in February to 3.0%, following a rise of 0.9 percentage points from mid-December 2022 to mid-January 2023, according to analysis by Joint Venture Silicon Valley’s Institute for Regional Studies.

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2023 Silicon Valley Index

coverFebruary 15, 2023 - Silicon Valley is perched on solid ground despite growing income and wealth divides, persistent racial inequities, and a dwindling population, according to the 2023 Silicon Valley Index. The Index shows that population declined by tens of thousands, home prices rose by 7%, childcare costs rose twice as quickly as inflation, and wages were inadequate for the rising cost of living. “We see hundreds of thousands of meals required of our region’s food bank, and childcare cost rising twice as quickly as everything else,” said Rachel Massaro, Director of Research for the Institute.

Learn more about the Silicon Valley Index online at www.siliconvalleyindicators.org.

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Food Needs Terminology: History, Usage, and Limitations

cover imageDecember 12, 2022 – Joint Venture’s research arm, the Silicon Valley Institute for Regional Studies released this research brief in partnership with Second Harvest of Silicon Valley and with Joint Venture’s Food Recovery Initiative. Entitled, Food Needs Terminology: History, Usage, and Limitations, the brief tackles the challenge of confusing nomenclature within this critical arena, and offers potential approaches to better define community needs in Silicon Valley and beyond. The objective was to examine a more sustainable way to calculate, discuss, and communicate food needs in Silicon Valley, with applicability in communities elsewhere.

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Data Release: Unemployment (October 2022)

Data Release: Unemployment (October 2022)October 21, 2022 – The unemployment rate in the Silicon Valley region decreased to 2.1% in September, which is 0.2 percentage points below the rate in August and equals the unemployment rate in July. Overall employment in the region increased by just over 1,000 workers.

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2022 Silicon Valley Index

coverFebruary 15, 2022 - An incongruous set of contradictions are still a common theme in Silicon Valley, according to the 2022 Silicon Valley Index, released by Joint Venture’s Institute for Regional Studies. Employment rebounded to pre-pandemic numbers and tech jobs went up 4%. VC hit new records, start-ups were brisk, and there were more IPOs than in any other year this century. Yet, health and wealth disparities were stratified by race and ethnicity.

Learn more about the Silicon Valley Index online at www.siliconvalleyindicators.org.

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Data Release: Unemployment (January 2022)

Data Release: Unemployment (January 2022)January 21, 2022 - The employment rate in the Silicon Valley region is now on par with mid-March 2020, just prior to shelter-in-place orders for the Bay Area. Silicon Valley employers added more than 10,300 workers between mid-November and mid-December and the unemployment rate dropped to 2.9%, according to analysis by Joint Venture’s Institute for Regional Studies.

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Data Release: Unemployment (November 2021)

Data Release: Unemployment (October 2021)November 19, 2021 – Silicon Valley employers added 13,000 workers between mid-September and mid-October and the unemployment rate dropped slightly to 3.7%, according to analysis by Joint Venture’s Institute for Regional Studies. The drop in unemployment is much slower than the change experienced from August to September, when the unemployment rate dropped by 0.8 percentage points (from 4.7% to 3.9%).

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Homeownership in Santa Clara County

cover imageNovember 1, 2021 – This research brief examines homeownership in Santa Clara County, including data and analysis in the context of longer-term housing trends, the wealth gap, and economic mobility. The work was commissioned by the Santa Clara County Association of REALTORS in partnership with the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS, with the intention of informing their work, and serving as a resource to Silicon Valley leaders and community members interested in the interconnections between homeownership and other indicators of regional health.

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Data Release: Unemployment (October 2021)

Data Release: Unemployment (October 2021)October 22, 2021 – Silicon Valley’s latest unemployment rate for September is down to 3.9% — the first time the unemployment rate has dropped below four percent since the start of the pandemic, according to analysis by Joint Venture ’s Institute for Regional Studies. August to September 2021 represented a drop of 0.8 percentage points, or from 4.7% to 3.9%. The unemployment rate in Silicon Valley in September was two percentage points lower than it was at the end of 2020.

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Snapshot: Silicon Valley Multifamily Housing

cover imageSeptember 16, 2021 – Rental rates for multifamily housing in Silicon Valley have increased over the 2020 dip, with a large share of renters paying more than 30% of their income for housing, according to Joint Venture’s Institute for Regional Studies. This report provides a snapshot of the trends in the region’s housing market for residential structures with more than one dwelling unit in the same building.

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Data Release: Unemployment (August 2021)

Data Release: Unemployment (August 2021)August 20, 2021 – Silicon Valley’s latest unemployment rate for July is back to 4.9% — where it was three months prior, according to analysis by Joint Venture Silicon Valley’s Institute for Regional Studies. Variations in the region’s employment numbers have been relatively small month to month over the past eight months, with the largest pandemic-period declines happening between the peak in April 2020 (12%) and last November (5.2%).

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Data Release: Unemployment (July 2021)

Data Release: Unemployment (July 2021)July 16, 2021 – Silicon Valley’s employment growth stalled with an increase in the unemployment rate from 4.6% in May to 5.1% in June, according to analysis by Joint Venture’s Institute for Regional Studies. Similar upticks occurred across all 58 California counties, as the state unemployment rate overall rose by 0.5 percentage points month-over-month.

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Data Release: IPOs (July 2021)

Data Release: IPOs (July 2021)July 15, 2021 – The Silicon Valley and San Francisco aggregate market cap has more than doubled, rising from $5.5 trillion to more than $12.6 trillion since spring of 2020, according to this data release from Joint Venture's Institute for Regional Studies.

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Data Release: Unemployment (June 2021)

Data Release: Unemployment (June 2021)June 18, 2021 – Silicon Valley’s unemployment rate continued in a slow downward trend into May, reaching 4.6%. Joint Venture’s Institute for Regional Studies released analysis that shows a significant improvement in the region’s unemployment rate since the pandemic-high of 12% in April 2020. Month-over-month declines have been small. Between April and May, the rate declined by three-tenths of a percentage point, which represents approximately 3,630 fewer unemployed workers throughout Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.

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Data Release: Unemployment (May 2021)

Data Release: Unemployment (May 2021)May 21, 2021 – Joint Venture’s Institute for Regional Studies released analysis that shows a small, two-tenths of a percentage point decline in the regional unemployment rate between March and April 2021. This decline represents an additional 2,600 employed throughout Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.

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Quarterly Report: Silicon Valley Commercial Space (Q1 2021)

Commercial Space 2021 Q1 report coverQ1 2021 - Released quarterly in partnership with JLL, the Q1 2021 report noted that, one year into the pandemic, commercial leasing activity in Silicon Valley was slow, with fewer than 100 transactions in total. A handful of large commercial buildings were completed despite the slowdown of region development overall since the start of the pandemic, and an impressive 15 million square feet remains in-progress.

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Data Release: Unemployment (April 2021)

Data Release: Unemployment (April 2021)April 16, 2021 - Joint Venture’s Institute for Regional Studies released analysis that shows late 2020 economic restrictions, along with a wave of COVID-19 cases contributed to an unemployment rate reaching nearly 6% in December. Since then, the region has experienced a gradual decline to 5.1% in March.

Silicon Valley’s 5.1% unemployment rate is less than half of the April high (11.6%), but remains higher than the 3.2% of mid-March last year.

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2021 Silicon Valley Index

coverFebruary 16, 2021 – The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every aspect of Silicon Valley’s economy and the greater community, according to the 2021 Index. From the health impacts of the virus, to its effect on employment, IPOs, childcare, hunger, and housing, the pandemic has plowed through every sector, often with long-term implications. As a timely addition this year, the Index includes a section devoted to the impacts of COVID.

Learn more about the Silicon Valley Index online at www.siliconvalleyindicators.org.

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Data Release: Unemployment (December 2020)

Data Release: Unemployment (December 2020)December 18, 2020 - Silicon Valley’s unemployment rate continued its gradual decline since the pandemic-high of 11.6% in April, decreasing by a fraction (0.8) of a percentage point to 5.1% between mid-October and mid-November, according to analysis released by Joint Venture’s Institute for Regional Studies. The November data reflects month-over-month upticks in retail jobs (specifically Clothing & Clothing Accessory, and General Merchandise Stores), and restaurant/food service jobs. Impacts of November restrictions still unclear.

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Data Release: Unemployment (November 2020)

Data Release: Unemployment (November 2020)November 20, 2020 - Silicon Valley’s unemployment rate slipped down by another 1.1 percentage points in October, according to analysis released today by Joint Venture Silicon Valley’s Institute for Regional Studies. Yet, as of mid-October, approximately 90,000 people remain unemployed in Silicon Valley.

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Fact Sheet: Voting (November 13, 2020)

Fact Sheet: Voting (November 13, 2020)November 13, 2020 - Silicon Valley’s eligible voter turnout for the November 3 General Election, based on results reported to-date, was at unprecedented levels. Preliminary numbers suggest an eligible voter turnout of 71 percent, compared to 62 percent in the 2016 General Election.

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Quarterly Report: Silicon Valley Commercial Space (Q3 2020)

Commercial Space 2020 Q3 report coverQ3 2020 - Released quarterly in partnership with JLL, the Q3 2020 report showed a significant decline in commercial leasing activity and a rise in office space vacancies near transit stations. Despite these and other pandemic-related effects on the market, the region is still churning out new commercial developments and an unprecedented amount remains under construction.

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Data Release: Unemployment (October 2020)

Data Release: Unemployment (October 2020)October 16, 2020 - Unemployment numbers are continuing to drop in Santa Clara County, reaching a post-Covid shutdown low of 7% for September, sixth lowest in California, according to figures just released by the Economic Development Department. Joint Venture’s Institute for Regional Studies released analysis of Silicon Valley’s unemployment rate through September along with the historical trend back to the year 2000. 

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Research Brief: Food Insecurity & Distribution

Research Brief: Food Insecurity & DistributionOctober 14, 2020 - Joint Venture’s Institute for Regional Studies released a research brief illustrating how the region’s residents have fared during the pandemic, outlining the impact of the decline in employment on regional food needs, and the rapid response of emergency food distribution efforts. The brief was created in partnership with Second Harvest of Silicon Valley and Silicon Valley Food Recovery, an initiative of Joint Venture.

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Data Release: Stock Market (October 2020)

Data Release: Stock MarketOctober 6, 2020 - Joint Venture's Institute for Regional Studies has released analysis that reveals that the market cap of Silicon Valley and San Francisco stocks, in aggregate, are now 11 percent and seven percent higher, respectively, than prior to the pandemic-related decline.

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Data Release: Unemployment (September 2020)

Data Release: Unemployment (September 2020)September 18, 2020 - Joint Venture’s Institute for Regional Studies released an analysis of post-COVID unemployment rates alongside 20 years of pre-COVID historical data. The numbers reflect the sharpest month-over-month decline since the region’s unemployment rate peaked at an unprecedented 11.6 percent in April.

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Data Release: Unemployment (August 2020)

Data Release: Unemployment (August 2020)August 21, 2020 - Joint Venture’s Institute for Regional Studies released an analysis of post-COVID unemployment rates with pre-COVID historical data. The numbers reflect a 9.3% regional unemployment rate for July, a 1.4 percentage point decline since June, and a 2.3 percentage point decline since the unprecedented April high.

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Quarterly Report: Silicon Valley Commercial Space (Q2 2020)

Commercial Space 2020 Q2 report coverQ2 2020 - This is the Institute's second quarterly report on Silicon Valley commercial space since the onset of COVID-19. The report showed leasing activity has been muted with concentrated efforts in renewals. More sublease space has come onto the market and current construction projects have continued with some delays. New speculative development has been put on hold.

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Data Release: Unemployment (July 2020)

Data Release: Unemployment (July 2020)July 17, 2020 - The Institute released analysis of post-COVID unemployment rates compared to 20 years of pre-COVID historical data. The numbers reflect a minimal decrease of 0.3 percentage points in the regional unemployment rate from the May rate of 11 percent, and only 0.6 percentage points below the unprecedented 11.6 percent in April, which surpassed even the post-dot com bust and recession highs of 2009.

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Trending: Bay Area Public Interest Topics

close up of person typing on laptopJuly 16, 2020 - The Institute compiled an assessment of Bay Area public interest trends based on web searches conducted since March 15 via Google Trends. This compilation provides a human-interest sidebar to the numerous economic data releases published by the Institute since the onset of the pandemic.

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Data Release: Regional Response Funds

Data Release: Regional Response FundJuly 7, 2020 - The Institute compares 19 regional response funds with a range of focus areas, including housing needs, community-based nonprofits, small businesses, childcare providers, schools, and the needs of low-income individuals throughout the region.

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Data Release: Unemployment (June 2020)

Data Release: Unemployment (June 2020)June 19, 2020 - An analysis of post-COVID unemployment rates compared to 20 years of pre-COVID historical data. The numbers reflect a minimal decrease of 0.6 percentage points in the regional unemployment rate from the unprecedented 11.6 percent in April – a rate surpassing even the post-dot com bust and recession highs of 2009.

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Quantitative Assessment Study: Palo Alto Businesses & Economic Activity (May 2020)

Quantitative Assessment Study: Palo Alto Businesses & Economic Activity (May 2020)May 2020 - The City of Palo Alto—like other Silicon Valley cities—is continually looking to find the right balance between the activities and contributions of businesses, residents, and the collective community that they create. Stanford University commissioned the Institute to provide detailed information about the existing business mix and conduct an impartial assessment of the existing impact of the City’s businesses and key contributing industries to overall economic activity and city tax revenues.

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Data Release: Consumer Price Index (CPI)

Data Release: Bay Area Consumer Price IndexMay 15, 2020 - The Institute has compiled a summary of the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward metro area consumer price index (CPI). Looking back to 1978, the two-month period percentage decline in the Index shows that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a decrease of 0.5 percent. No declines between April and February have occurred since 2003, and none of this magnitude since 1986.

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Data Release: Hiring (May 2020)

Data Release: HiringMay 11, 2020 - Since February, Bay Area hiring activity has declined by 25% compared to 21% nationally, according to a new data release from Joint Venture’s Institute for Regional Studies. The Institute compared the results to the U.S. overall and against 10 other metro areas.

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Data Release: Layoffs

Data Release: LayoffsMay 1, 2020 - Joint Venture’s Institute for Regional Studies has compiled a summary of regional layoffs charted since July, 2019 and following the April 25 release of the California Employment Development Department WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) report.

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Data Release: Consumer Spending

Data Release: Consumer SpendingApril 27, 2020 - Joint Venture’s Institute for Regional Studies has released analysis of the region’s consumer spending trends and how they have changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The release compared retail sales trends for the U.S. overall and changes between February and March.

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Data Release: Unemployment (April 2020)

Data Release: UnemploymentApril 17, 2020 - On the heels of the COVID-19 crisis, Joint Venture's Institute for Regional Studies has released preliminary analysis that shows an uptick in the unemployment rate to 3.1% - a sharp increase but significantly lower than the recession-peak of 10.5% in the summer of 2009. The report follows the release of preliminary March 2020 labor market data (which has a lag time of several weeks) from the California Employment Development Department (EDD).

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Data Release: Hiring (April 2020)

Data Release: HiringApril 3, 2020 - Joint Venture’s Institute for Regional Studies has released a comparison of recent month-over-month changes in Bay Area hiring compared to the United States overall. The analysis follows the release of national and metro-area hiring data from LinkedIn’s Economic Graph.

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2018 Silicon Valley Index

coverFebruary 2018 - The regional economic study again shows more jobs, income, venture capital and commercial construction pouring into Silicon Valley, yet workers struggle to afford housing, endure longer commutes and face rising costs for such everyday needs as food, clothing and child care.

Learn more about the Silicon Valley Index online at www.siliconvalleyindicators.org.

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Quarterly Report: Silicon Valley Commercial Space (Q2 2017)

black and white coverQ2 2017 - Silicon Valley’s commercial office vacancy rates are up over the past three quarters despite high demand for large office space, the Silicon Valley Institute for Regional Studies reported. The Institute’s quarterly commercial real estate report, prepared in partnership with JLL Silicon Valley, also shows that 11 million square feet of new commercial space is in the pipeline.

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Snapshot: Silicon Valley's Local Elected Officials (May 2017)

blue and white report coverMay 2017 - Only a third of Silicon Valley elected local officials are women, a majority are Democrats and just 18 percent of registered voters in the region are Republicans, according to a new Snapshot brief by Joint Venture’s Institute for Regional Studies.

The report, prepared in partnership with GrassrootsLab, shows Democrats hold 72 percent of Silicon Valley local elected offices, compared to 69 percent in the Bay Area and 45 percent statewide.

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Quarterly Report: Silicon Valley Commercial Space (Q1 2017)

black and white coverQ1 2017 - Silicon Valley is experiencing cautious optimism carried over from 2016 while several large corporate technology firms have put space back on the market, preemptively buckling down should the economy begin to signal a slowdown. Although requirements for larger spaces have declined, many tech companies are continuing their growth, albeit at a slower pace when compared to 2015-2016.

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2017 Silicon Valley Index

coverFebruary 2017 - Silicon Valley has chalked up seven straight years of economic expansion, a pace that continues to burden the region’s already strained infrastructure. The latest data shows a slight slowdown from previous years, the report notes, but Silicon Valley’s growth is still outpacing California and the nation as a whole in many categories.

Learn more about the 2017 Silicon Valley Index, view interactive charts, and download the underlying chart data at www.siliconvalleyindicators.org.

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2016 Silicon Valley Index

coverFebruary 2016 - The 2016 Silicon Valley Index reveals Silicon Valley’s economy is thriving from San Jose to San Francisco, surging to levels that are overwhelming the Bay Area’s capacity to handle it.

Learn more about the 2016 Silicon Valley Index, view interactive charts, and download the underlying chart data at www.siliconvalleyindicators.org.

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Population Brief

Population brief cover May 2015 - This report examines Silicon Valley’s population dynamics, including overall population growth, growth by city and county, birth and death rates, and the changing population composition in terms of age and gender. It also examines recent California Department of Finance (DOF) population and K-12 enrollment projections through 2023.

Learn more about the Population Brief, view interactive charts, and download the underlying chart data on the indicators website.

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Poverty Brief

poverty brief cover March 2015 - This research brief examines aspects of poverty in the San Francisco Bay Area, its regional distribution and areas of intense concentration, as well as the demographics of the impoverished population.

Learn more about the Poverty Brief, view interactive charts, and download the underlying chart data on the indicators website.

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Driving Clean Energy Adoption

green cover November 2014 - As of the end of 2013, China and the United States were the two top countries in terms of total installed renewable power capacity, as well as investments in renewable energy. Driving Clean Energy Adoption examines five leading clean energy regions in the United States and China based on primary and secondary research, including numerous interviews of key stakeholders.

Included in the report are information and findings that are broadly applicable to other regions working to further clean energy adoption. The drivers, benefits and considerations for regional success in promoting clean energy adoption are outlined, case studies are presented, and resulting key challenges and success factors are extracted and provided. The findings suggest a handful of the most important factors for regional clean energy adoption relating to policy frameworks, utility involvement, collaboration, local leadership and innovation.

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Trends Affecting Workforce Development

SAMCEDA report coverMay 2014 - This report reviews broad economic forces in San Mateo County and the Peninsula and considers their implications for workforce development. The report spotlights the persistence of poverty even in the face of surging job growth, reviews the best practices fostering upward mobility for the workforce, and outlines strategies that can be carried out by workforce boards, community colleges, private industry and community organizations.

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Sunnyvale Community Solar Array Development Feasibility Study

Sunnyvale Community Solar Array Development Feasibility Study cover September 2013 - This report studies the feasibility and assesses the options for municipalities like Sunnyvale who want to provide residential and commercial subscribers with renewable energy. It follows on the heels of legislation signed into law in September 2013 (Senate Bill 43) which offers new regulatory mechanisms for deploying shared renewables proj­ects in California communities. It also launched the Green Tariff Shared Renewables program (GTSR).

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2022 Silicon Valley Poll

cover imageOctober 4, 2022 – According to the 2022 Silicon Valley Poll, nearly three out of four residents say their quality of life in the Bay Area has declined over the last five years, a concern that holds across all age, income, and education levels.

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2021 Silicon Valley Poll

cover imageOctober 12, 2021 – According to the Silicon Valley Poll, Bay Area residents (65%) feel a strong sense of belonging to their region. Yet the majority believe the quality of life has grown worse. More than half (56%) plan to move out of the Bay Area in the next few years. The poll was placed in the field by the Institute for Regional Studies in partnership with the Bay Area News Group.

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Institute Publications

The Silicon Valley Institute for Regional Studies is the research arm of Joint Venture Silicon Valley, and is housed within the organization. Research topics focus on economic and community health issues within Silicon Valley and the greater Bay Area, as well as on broader regional issues.

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Joint Venture Publications

Joint Venture produces and provides supporting documents and research for a wide array of Silicon Valley interests. We also help to support our initiatives through the publication of the annual Silicon Valley Index and a variety of other periodic reports and white papers.

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Get comprehensive information and data about Silicon Valley’s economic and community health at www.SiliconValleyIndicators.org.

Data and charts from the Silicon Valley Index (and more) are available on a dynamic and interactive website that allows users to further explore Silicon Valley trends.

The site is maintained and constantly updated by Joint Venture's Silicon Valley Institute for Regional Studies, and is a robust collection of charts and information with links to local, regional, and national data sources, as well as additional related online resources within the following categories: People, Economy, Society, Place, and Governance. There are also metrics presented through an equity lens.

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