46% of Bay Area Residents Say They Are Likely to Move Away, and Housing Costs Top the Reasons

Most Bay Area residents say they feel they belong where they live. Nearly half also say they will probably leave. That tension runs through the 2026 Silicon Valley Poll, an annual survey of 1,801 adults across five Bay Area counties by Joint Venture Silicon Valley and the Bay Area News Group, conducted by Embold Research.

More people looking at the exit

Forty-six percent of respondents said they are likely to move out of the region in the next few years, up from 43% last year but below the 56% recorded in 2021. Renters were much more likely to say so than homeowners, 51% to 39%. Among people who cannot reliably cover their bills and still save, 52% said they were considering a move, compared with 41% of those who can.

At the same time, 75% said they feel a sense of belonging in their community, and about two-thirds of the people likely to leave still said they feel they belong.

Housing dwarfs every other worry

Joint Venture reported that 95% of residents call housing and affordability serious problems, far ahead of any other issue. Nearly half said they struggle to pay monthly expenses and put money aside. In the past year, 59% said they had cut back on groceries, 47% had taken on debt and 43% had skipped or delayed medical care. Among families earning under $150,000, 83% said they had cut back on groceries or other necessities.

Russell Hancock, Joint Venture's president and CEO, told the Bay Area News Group that housing and the high cost of living are what is pushing people out.

A gloomier mood overall

Sixty percent said the region is on the wrong track, up from 53% last year. Seventy-nine percent said the Bay Area is becoming a place where only the wealthy can thrive, and 57% said quality of life has gotten worse.

The poll also found wary views of the tech industry and AI. Seventy-seven percent said leading tech companies have too much power and influence, including 69% of tech workers. Sixty-five percent said AI is developing too quickly, and 78% worried it will widen economic inequality.

Younger residents are the most hopeful. Two-thirds of Gen Z respondents and 53% of millennials said the region's best days are still ahead, while majorities of older generations disagreed. Overall, 51% were optimistic.