California Bay Area

Bay Area

Cal State East Bay | San Francisco State
San José State | Sonoma State


The Bay Area region consists of 11 counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Lake, Marin, Napa, San Francisco,  San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano and Sonoma. Four CSU campuses are associated with the region: Cal State East Bay, San Francisco State, San José State and Sonoma State. Collectively, these campuses had a direct annual spend of $3.6 billion in 2023-24.

$1.7
BILLION

on operational
expenditures​

$279.6
MILLION

on capital expenditures (four-year average)2​

$206.2
MILLION

on auxiliary
expenditures

$1​.4
BILLION

on student
spending

Regional impact: CSUs in the Bay Area region generated a substantial economic impact across the region, supporting over 31,000 jobs and contributing $2.2 billion in labor income, $4.8 billion in industry activity and $321 million in tax revenues, underscoring the campuses’ vital role in regional economic vitality and public finance. 

When Bay Area region CSU alumni spend such earnings in the state, an estimated 66,300 jobs, $5.2 billion in labor income, $14.5 billion in industry activity and a remarkable $29.4 billion in tax revenue are created each year. ​

For every $1 the state invested, Bay Area region campuses returned $6.59 in industry activity. The return jumped nearly sixfold, to $38.13 when alumni income is included.


Input
​Employment
Labor Income​Industry Activity
Tax Impact​
Operational Expenditures
20,600​​
$1,420M
$2,704​M
$148M
Capital Expenditures
2,300
$231M
$434M
$20​M
Auxiliary1,600
​​$113M
$286M
$21M
Student Spending
6,600
$403M​
$1,363M
$131M
Total 31,000 $2,167M $4,787M $321M
1 Transition to 22 universities in progress (Cal Poly and Cal Maritime integrating)—official Fall 2026.
​​
​​2​​ The CSU’s calculated four-year average (2021 to 2024) for campus capital expenditures is used because expenditures vary year to year.​