Research Facts & Figures > Economic Data

Please Note: Pages listed in bolded, large type are most up-to-date.

Historical and current trends in economic indicators such as Personal Income, the Consumer Price Index, and Taxable Sales, reveal the economic health of a region and create a framework for understanding other indicators such as employment, housing, and trade.

CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (CPI)

CPI measures the change in price of a representative group of goods and services and is used to track inflation. 

PER CAPITA PERSONAL INCOME

Personal income spikes that were due to the internet technology investment bubble of the late 1990s thru 2001  was most dramatic in the Peninsula, San Francisco and South Bay regions. The nine counties of the Bay Area rank in the top 25 of California counties in terms of per capita personal income.

PERSONAL INCOME

Total personal income includes net earnings by place of residence; dividends, interest, and rent; and personal current transfer receipts received by the residents of the County or MSA.

GDP

Real gross domestic product -- the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States -- is a quarterly indicator with monthly revisions based on preliminary estimates of the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

TRAVEL & TOURISM

Hotel occupancy and room rates can be affected by business travelers as well as tourism. Hotel markets like Marin, Napa and Sonoma Counties and Monterey/Carmel, cater to a majority of tourist clientele, while San Jose, Oakland and Sacramento cater primarily to business travelers. San Francisco is unique in that it is a destination for both tourists and business travelers.

TAXABLE SALES

With 32 percent of Bay Area taxable sales, the East Bay generated more taxable sales in 2009 than San Francisco, Santa Clara, and the North Bay. Taxable sales are a strong indicator of how a local economy is doing, particularly in California, where they are a major source of income for local governments, so retail businesses (with low paying jobs) may receive a higher priority than manufacturing businesses that have much higher paying jobs and generate additional jobs and income for the area.

VENTURE CAPITAL

Venture Capital Investments provide the fuel for high-tech industries and the Silicon Valley (which includes the East Bay) leads in investment even after the sharp decline following the $20 billion peak reached in 2000.

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