A new poll shows nearly 46 percent of California’s Bay Area residents say they are likely to leave the region in the next few years, driven primarily by extreme housing costs and high expenses.
The New York Post reports that a Silicon Valley poll conducted by Embold Research for Joint Venture Silicon Valley and the Bay Area News Group says 46 percent of the 1,801 adults surveyed said they’re feeling forced to leave the pricey California region — up from 43 percent last year.
Newsom and the Democrats are pricing half the Bay Area out of their own homes.
Decades of their rules, taxes, and housing lockdowns did this.
People aren’t leaving…they’re being driven out. It’s incredibly sad.
— 🇺🇸SuperBasedInCali🇺🇸 (@SuperBasedInCa) October 7, 2026
Affordability is a major factor with roughly two-thirds of residents citing housing costs as the primary reason they’re contemplating moving.
Nearly half of those residents point to general quality-of-life concerns, while 37 percent cite taxes and 28 percent point to homelessness or political alienation.
The New York Post reports those who leave the region or state frequently relocate to more affordable areas, such as Nevada, Texas, or lower-cost parts of California, where home values can be 40 percent to 57 percent lower.
The median single-family home price in the Bay Area has reached approximately $1.4 million, compared to $915,000 statewide and a $425,000 national average.
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Renters are more likely to consider leaving than homeowners because typical rents are roughly twice the national average, averaging $3,800 a month, with tight vacancy rates around 2.8 percent.
About 52 percent of residents who cannot consistently cover monthly expenses and savings say they plan to depart.
According to the poll, beyond affordability concerns, politics is another factor pulling Bay Area residents from the region, with some respondents saying that they are frustrated by policies such as a proposed billionaires tax or sanctuary city laws.
Russell Hancock, president and CEO of regional think tank Joint Venture Silicon Valley, described the political split, saying, “Democrats feel very comfortable here and Republicans, of which there are more more than a few, are feeling less comfortable here. It might be making them feel estranged, especially if it becomes too — I’m using air quotes — too woke.”
Hancock told the East Bay Times that it’s up to politicians to solve California’s problems, especially the housing crisis, and he believes it’s a good sign that the state is imposing housing requirements on local municipalities.
