Among Bay Area adults under 50 who don't have children, 35% say it is "not at all likely" they ever will and another 21% say "not too likely." That adds up to 56% who don't expect to become parents, according to the 2026 Silicon Valley Poll from Joint Venture Silicon Valley and the Bay Area News Group. Of that group, 58% say they cannot afford to raise children in the Bay Area. It is the top reason given.

A Bay Area difference

The report notes that national surveys find a different pattern. In a 2024 Pew Research Center survey, the most common reason was simply not wanting children, with 57% calling it a major reason. In the Bay Area poll, about one in three (32%) say they just don't want children. Overall, 30% of residents say financial pressure has delayed their plans to have children or start a family. That rises to 50% among those ages 18 to 34 and 42% among those 35 to 49.

Money and expectations

Plans to have children track with financial security. Childless adults under 50 who can't consistently cover monthly bills and save are 15 points less likely to expect children (37% vs. 52%). Among parents with household incomes under $150,000, 83% say they have cut back on groceries or other necessities, and 75% have taken on debt or used credit cards to cover expenses. Just 35% of those parents agree that hard work can still lead to a good life, compared with 55% of higher-income parents.

The bigger picture

The Mercury News, citing the Public Policy Institute of California, reports that California's birth rate fell from 20 births per 1,000 residents in 1992 to 10.1 in 2025. Its total fertility rate dropped from 2.21 in 2007 to 1.48 in 2023, below the replacement level of about 2.1. Joint Venture CEO Russell Hancock told the paper that people in Silicon Valley are delaying medical care, not buying houses and "choosing not to have children or not to have as many children."

The poll surveyed 1,801 adults in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties from Aug. 5 to 18. It has a margin of error of 2.6 points. For the poll's findings on moving away, see our earlier story.