Selected 2020 Demographic & Economic Angles on the San Francisco Bay Area and California
People Using Slow Streets Program by San Francisco Planning Department on Flickr via Creative Commons
New U.S. Census data was released in early December, which allows us to look at a wide variety of data from a number of different sources:
Which party’s presidential candidate increased their percentage of vote in 2020?
How many Californians moved to Texas in 2019?
How much has employment bounced back from the initial pandemic plunge?
What county has the highest life expectancy?
What are the differences between male and female median incomes in the Bay Area?
When asked about religious affiliation, what percentage of residents responded with “nothing in particular”?
Which county has the highest percentage of residents living in poverty?
What national ancestry is claimed by the highest number of residents?
What county has by far the highest median age?
What percentage of Bay Area residents believe in evolution?
2016 vs 2020 Presidential Election Voting
BOTH Democratic party and Republican party presidential candidates either stayed the same or increased their percentages in every Bay Area County, 2016 to 2020 (while third party voting fell).
San Francisco Bay Area Employment Trends
Although the pandemic has had a devastating effect on employment in the Bay Area and beyond, recovery is happening at a swift pace.
Life Expectancy by Bay Area County, by Sex
According to the CDC, as of 2018 life expectancy on average in the US is 78.7 years.
Bay Area Median Income by Sex
Clearly, there is still work to be done on pay equality.
Percentage of Sellers Moving Out of California
These numbers reflect the entire state, not just the Bay Area.
California Migration Trends – Census Estimates
Texas draws the most people out of California, followed by Arizona, Nevada, and the Pacific Northwest.
Percentage of Sellers Moving within Home County
Percentage of Homes Sold to International Buyers
Residential sales to international buyers has been on the decline for a few years.
Foreign National Homebuyers in America
California is the top destination of Chinese (35%) and Indian buyers (17%), #2 for Canadian (19%) & #3 for Mexican buyers (12%).
Foreign-Born Population by Origin
The majority of foreign-born people in the Bay Area hail from Asia, but that’s a pretty broad stroke.
Percentage of Foreign-Born Residents
This breaks out the largest group of foreign-born populations by county.
Ancestry, Ethnicity, Original Country of Origin
The Bay Area is a true melting pot.
Religious Affiliation of Adult Residents
Catholicism is the biggest faith captured here, though it is closely followed by “nothing in particular.”
Beliefs & Practices of Adult Residents
Bay Area Educational Attainment
San Francisco stands out as a highly educated city, with 35% having attained a bachelor’s degree, and 23% with graduate or professional degrees.
Median Income by Education
Unsurprisingly, the higher the level of education, the higher the income.
Median Income by Sex & Education
Again, this sadly reflects systemic income inequality by gender.
Minimum Qualifying Income Required to Purchase
San Francisco is one of the most expensive counties in the region, with a household income of over $300,000 needed to purchase a median price home.
Number of Housing Units by County
Bay Area County Sizes
San Francisco has the smallest land mass of Bay Area counties, but one of the highest populations, making it a dense place to live.
Bay Area Population Densities
San Francisco is the second most densely populated city in the country. It has 8 times as many residents per square mile as Alameda County and almost a hundred times more than Napa.
Bay Area Population Trends
Alameda and Santa Clara counties saw the most population growth in the period from 2010-2019. San Francisco had a slow but steady climb.
Percentage of 1-Person Households
37% of San Franciscans live alone. The median San Francisco household size is 2.4.
Owner & Tenant Occupancy Percentages
San Francisco has historically always had a strong rental market. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’ll be interesting to see how this shifts.
Percentage of Buyers Purchasing Rental Property
Purchases of investment property have slowed in the past few years. Given the current status of deflated rental rates, I expect we can continue to see this trend into 2021.
Median Household Income
This may seem to contradict a previous slide, but consider that this includes homeowners who may have had their property for an extended period, not new purchases.
Affluence & Poverty in the Bay Area
Households with income of at least $200,000 versus percentage of households in poverty.
Percentage of Residents Identifying as LGBT
The Bay Area has long been a harbor for the LGBT community, and appears to remain so.
Median Age of Residents
Monterey skews youngest while Marin skews older, with the overall median age hovering around 40.
Data in these analyses is from a variety of sources – some brand new, some older, depending on availability. Deemed reasonably reliable, but may contain errors. All numbers should be considered very approximate.
Compass Bay Area Real Estate Market Reports: https://www.bayareamarketreports.com/
Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California, DRE 01527235. Equal Housing Opportunity. This report has been prepared solely for information purposes. The information herein is based on or derived from information generally available to the public and/or from sources believed to be reliable. No representation or warranty can be given with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the information. Compass disclaims any and all liability relating to this report, including without limitation any express or implied representations or warranties for statements contained in, and omissions from, the report. Nothing contained herein is intended to be or should be read as any regulatory, legal, tax, accounting or other advice and Compass does not provide such advice. All opinions are subject to change without notice. Compass makes no representation regarding the accuracy of any statements regarding any references to the laws, statutes or regulations of any state are those of the author(s). Past performance is no guarantee of future results.