So is everyone making 150k in the Bay Area? (San Diego: to rent, houses)

[McGregorShow]

I've heard people say the Bay Area is full of tech guys who make 100k a year.

But are tech guys 10% of 50% of the population?

Are these people complaining about buying homes or is there no scenario where people live together? Maybe it's not a good place to buy a house but surely there are room mates.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Every service you can think of is available in the SF Bay Area, from nannies to car washes to restaurants to you-name-it. Obviously, they can't all be tech guys or making 100k/year.

[Perma Bear]

Originally Posted by McGregorShow

I've heard people say the Bay Area is full of tech guys who make 100k a year.

But are tech guys 10% of 50% of the population?

Are these people complaining about buying homes or is there no scenario where people live together? Maybe it's not a good place to buy a house but surely there are room mates.

It's not as common as it seems based on the sampling here.

[McGregorShow]

Originally Posted by Perma Bear

It's not as common as it seems based on the sampling here.

I hear of gentrification. ANd yes obviously tech plays a huge role. But besides Silicon valley, I just can't imagine school teachers etc making 150k and being able to afford to live in the Bay Area.

People are leaving California in general, San diego, LA, even Orange County, and yes the cost of living is higher in san francisco, but the way people talk about it is that every guy makes 150K which apparently leads to women having "her pick of men" Logically though, if SOOOOOOOO many guys and women were making such bank that regular people had to leave, and with the ratio being skewed to guys, wouldn't models from other areas just fly here and pick the richest guy?

From reading these forums it seems that you cannot live here unless you work in Tech or you're a CEO. But then again, the same can be said about San Diego, the difference is, tech is actually huge in san francisco.

I read somewhere that only 10% of Bay Area people work in tech. And "tech" in terms of earning 150-250k, is probably 10% of that 10%.

So either the Bay Area is a great place for a 20 something tech worker to save money with roommates and is a horrendous places for families,

[HockeyMac18]

Quote of thread title

So is everyone making 150k in the Bay Area?

Definitely not.

Originally Posted by McGregorShow

I've heard people say the Bay Area is full of tech guys who make 100k a year.

"Full of" could mean a lot of things. A lot of households do make closer to this figure. Median household income in the Bay Area is around 75k, and different counties have higher household income - ranges from high 60K (Sonoma, Napa, Solano) to high 80K (Marin, Santa Clara, San Mateo).
Bay Area Census -- Bay Area Data
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...ions_by_income
Santa Clara County has highest median household income in nation, but wealth gap widens - San Jose Mercury News

Some of these people above the median are tech people, for sure.

Originally Posted by McGregorShow

But are tech guys 10% of 50% of the population?

Probably closer to 10% than 50%. I'd be surprised if it was above 20%.

Also, what do you mean by "tech"? I think of it as software engineers, people in IT, people working on hardware, etc.

I wouldn't consider someone working in finance or HR at a tech company as someone working in tech...but maybe I should?

Even if you're very lenient in that regard, I still think the number is going to be way lower than most think (definitely not half of the region's population).

Originally Posted by McGregorShow

Are these people complaining about buying homes or is there no scenario where people live together?

Most people make sacrafices to live in the region (for a variety of reasons). Not living as close to work as they want, not having as big of a house as they want (or think they "should" have because of their high salary), compromising on school quality, having to live with roommates, etc.

Most people don't find living with roommates an option. I personally don't mind it (even prefer it sometimes), but I'm also young, not married/childless - I recognize I'm probably not like most. And understand why someone with a family and a few children would feel differently.

Originally Posted by McGregorShow

Maybe it's not a good place to buy a house but surely there are room mates.

I'm not sure what you're saying here...

Yes, there are many options for roommates if you want one (or a few). Craigslist and a few Facebook groups are a great way to find some roommates.

[Chuck5000]

150k+ is common enough for salary plus other compensation to be the single most significant factor driving prices throughout the area. Zero doubt on this.

And two income couples with well over 300k income working in SV or SF are also very common. I am well less than that, but personally know several couples whom I know are making far more than that.

For one proof point, go read the thread //www.city-data.com/forum/san-j...over-200k.html

Plenty of other threads on this site in San Jose forum where people share their large incomes.

[McGregorShow]

Originally Posted by Chuck5000

150k+ is common enough for salary plus other compensation to be the single most significant factor driving prices throughout the area. Zero doubt on this.

And two income couples with well over 300k income working in SV or SF are also very common. I am well less than that, but personally know several couples whom I know are making far more than that.

For one proof point, go read the thread //www.city-data.com/forum/san-j...over-200k.html

Plenty of other threads on this site in San Jose forum where people share their large incomes.

So basically what you're saying is if i take a tech job, I can live with roommates lots of them, and save a lot of money, and make 150k+ alone and then save up for a bit and then settle down in Portland?

[HockeyMac18]

Originally Posted by McGregorShow

So basically what you're saying is if i take a tech job, I can live with roommates lots of them, and save a lot of money, and make 150k+ alone and then save up for a bit and then settle down in Portland?

A lot of young people living in SF these days are making great money (sometimes > 100k) and living with multiple roommates. Who do you think is renting those insanely-priced houses in SF? Multiple people (all making decent money) pooling their money.

The more people in a house, the lower the price per room - obviously. And it's not uncommon for these people to each be making very good money.

The main problem there is that it's hard to get a room below $1500 these days in SF...and that's still at least ~$18,000 a year to rent, just for a room.

[McGregorShow]

Originally Posted by Chuck5000

150k+ is common enough for salary plus other compensation to be the single most significant factor driving prices throughout the area. Zero doubt on this.

And two income couples with well over 300k income working in SV or SF are also very common. I am well less than that, but personally know several couples whom I know are making far more than that.

For one proof point, go read the thread //www.city-data.com/forum/san-j...over-200k.html

Plenty of other threads on this site in San Jose forum where people share their large incomes.

True, but tech workers are also being priced out.

[G Grasshopper]

The Bay Area includes a lot more than the most popular/convenient areas of San Francisco. No, everyone does not make $150K a year.