Latest Vital Signs Update Highlights Trends in Housing Affordability, Poverty, and Other Equity Indicators

Learn more: Jobs by Wage Level

LESS THAN ONE-FIFTH OF JOBS IN THE BAY AREA ARE MIDDLE-WAGE

The number and share of middle-wage jobs has declined since 2001, despite overall job growth in the region. In 2017, fewer than twenty percent of all jobs in the region were middle-wage jobs earning between 80% and 120% of the regional median hourly rate. Meanwhile, employment in low- and high-wage work has increased, furthering the trend of wage polarization.

Learn more: Poverty

POVERTY IN THE REGION AT ITS LOWEST POINT SINCE 1980

The share of Bay Area households with incomes below twice the national poverty rate peaked during the Great Recession and has been declining since 2012. In 2017, the share of Bay Area residents in poverty dipped below 20% for the first time since 1980, a new low for the region.

Learn more: Housing Affordability

SAN FRANCISCO’S SHARE OF COST-BURDENED RENTER HOUSEHOLDS HITS NEW LOW

While the share of renters excessively burdened by housing costs has generally increased across Bay Area counties since 1980, San Francisco renters have followed a different trend. In 2017, 28 percent of renter households in San Francisco were excessively burdened by housing costs, the city’s lowest share on record. This trend is largely powered by rising incomes for renter households, as high housing costs lead many lower-income renters to seek cheaper housing outside of San Francisco.

Learn more: Displacement Risk

THE SHARE OF RESIDENTS AT RISK OF DISPLACEMENT PEAKS IN 2017

Displacement risk, or the share of lower-income households living in neighborhoods with declining lower-income populations, peaked in 2017. Displacement risk in jurisdictions in the North Bay and along the delta continued to rise in 2017. Cities like Vallejo and Antioch, once seen as affordable options for those that have been displaced, saw a growing number of residents at risk of displacement.

Learn more: Migration

THE EAST BAY SEES THE LARGEST NET OUT-MIGRATION OF RESIDENTS

7,400 more residents moved from the East Bay to counties outside of the region than made the opposite move. Of those, over 4,000 moved to San Joaquin County. This suggests that the East Bay, once seen as a more affordable option for housing in the Bay Area, is also becoming too expensive for many residents, leading them to seek cheaper housing outside of the region.

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