Income Inequality in the San Francisco Bay Area

June 2015

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Income inequality in the United States has been increasing for several decades, and is now at levels not seen since the Great Depression. While historical datasets on income inequality in California and the San Francisco Bay Area do not go back that far, inequality has increased over the last thirty years at a more rapid rate than the United States as a whole. And over that time period, Bay Area income inequality has also shifted from being significantly lower than nationwide inequality to slightly higher in 2013.

This research brief examines data on Bay Area income inequality and how it varies within the region, including comparisons to the state and nation as a whole.

You may download a supplement to the research brief from Marin Economic Consulting on the root causes of inequality and local policy options.

Charts/tables featured in this report:

• Table 1: Household Income Inequality, 2013
• Figure 1: Gini Coefficients, 1989 – 2013
• Figure 2: Gini Coefficients, 2007 – 2013
• Figure 3: Income Ratios, 2007-2013
• Figure 4: Share of Household Income, by Income Quintiles, 2013
• Figure 5: Lower Limits of Household Income Quintiles, 2013
• Figure 6: Average Household Income by Quintile and for the Top-Earning 5%, 2013
• Figure 7: Changes in the Share of Households by Income Ranges, 2007 to 2013
• Table 2: Household Income Inequality Measures, 2013
• Figure 8: Income Ratio and Average Income of the Lowest-Earning Quintiles, by County, 2013
• Figure 9: Average Income of Top Quintile and Top-Earning 5% of Households, by County, 2013
• Table 3: Household Income Inequality Measures, by MSA, 2013
• Figure 10: Income Ratios and Average Income of the Lowest-Earning Quintile, by MSA, 2013
• Figure 11: Average Incomes of the Top Quintile and Top-Earning 5% of Household, by MSA, 2013
• Table 4: Rankings of Various Income and Income Inequality Measures, 2013
• Appendix Tables
• Supplement from Marin Economic Consulting on the Root Causes of Inequality and Addressing the Inequality Problem