How Is the Silicon Valley Economy Doing, and Where Can You Find the Data?

Silicon Valley's economy is producing at an extraordinary level while many residents struggle to afford life there, according to Joint Venture Silicon Valley's 2026 Silicon Valley Index. The report cites $92 billion in venture capital, more than 23,000 new patents, and hundreds of unicorns driving productivity—alongside median home prices nearing $2 million and a quarter of households unable to meet basic needs. If you want to understand the region's economy or track it over time, the primary sources are the Index at siliconvalleyindicators.org, the annual Silicon Valley Poll, and Joint Venture's commercial space reports.

The headline numbers

The 2026 Index frames the region around a single tension: world-leading output versus daily life on the ground.

These figures come from Joint Venture's summary of the Index. The organization describes its work as analysis and action on issues affecting the region's economy and quality of life, spanning business, government, academia, labor, and community.

The gap between output and life on the ground

The Index is explicit that strong aggregate numbers do not translate into security for residents. Two data points make the point concrete: home prices approaching $2 million, and a quarter of households unable to cover basic needs. The 2026 Silicon Valley Poll reinforces this:

• 60% of residents say the region is on the wrong track.
• 90% call housing and the cost of living "serious problems."
• Almost half struggle to cover monthly expenses.

Read together, the Index measures what the economy produces; the Poll measures how residents experience it. For anyone assessing the region—whether for a relocation decision, a business case, or research—using both avoids the mistake of judging the Valley by venture capital alone.

Where to find the data

Silicon Valley Index. The full report is available through Joint Venture's downloads and at siliconvalleyindicators.org, which hosts the indicator data behind the Index. This is the place to start for metrics on innovation, housing, and household well-being, and to compare across years.

Silicon Valley Poll. Joint Venture publishes the poll report and the underlying data as separate downloads, so you can check question wording and response distributions rather than relying on headlines.

Commercial Space Report. The Q2 2026 edition tracks real estate conditions: the development pipeline contracted to its lowest level since 2012, industrial and lab space accounted for all new development in the first half of 2026, three of the past four quarters saw no new office completions, vacancy rates neared their highest since 2003, asking rents kept declining, and industrial was the only space type with rising rents. Leasing activity stayed strong despite these conditions—a useful signal that demand and construction are moving in opposite directions.

Briefings and conference material. CEO Russell Hancock summarized the 2026 Index in two long-format briefings—one on the economy and innovation ecosystem, one on community health—with regional experts contributing to the discussion. The 2026 State of the Valley conference was held on February 27 at San José State University, and the full playlist is on Joint Venture's YouTube channel. These are useful if you want interpretation alongside the numbers.

How to use these reports to track change

1. Pick a consistent set of indicators from the Index—venture capital, patents, median home price, and the share of households unable to meet basic needs are a reasonable core—and record them each year.
2. Pair economic and quality-of-life measures in the same table so divergences are visible rather than buried in separate reports.
3. Check the Poll's trend questions year over year; sentiment shifts (such as the share saying the region is on the wrong track) often move before hard indicators do.
4. Use the commercial space report as a leading indicator for the office market: pipeline, completions, vacancy, and rents together show whether construction is catching up with or falling behind demand.
5. Go to the source data at siliconvalleyindicators.org when a headline number matters to a decision, so you can see definitions and revisions.

Joint Venture invites readers to learn more and subscribe through its website, which is the practical way to receive new Index, Poll, and report releases as they appear.