Almost all Bay Area counties saw an increase in population from 2023-'24

For the last several years, one of the big stories in the Bay Area has been the so-called Bay Area exodus. After the pandemic struck, people were leaving in droves.

But new U.S. Census data reveals that phenomenon may be over. Aside from Napa County, every Bay Area county saw its population increase from 2023 to 2024. 

The largest increase took place in Santa Clara County, where the population jumped by around 50,000 people.

San Francisco County saw its population jump by nearly 20,000 people. One of those new residents is Hunter Benkoski.

She and her boyfriend moved to the Bay Area from Missouri in August so he could take a job in the city. He works downtown; she works remotely.

"It has been such a treat to be in a walkable city," she said.

When she told people they were moving here, she got a mixed bag of reactions.

"It was really interesting seeing the responses of the people around me. Some people, I'd say, 'I am moving to San Francisco.' They'd say, 'Wow, that's great, big city, moving out to the West Coast," she said. "But, I had a surprising number of people who looked at me and were like, 'Oh.'"

Jeff Bellisario, the Executive Director of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, said he's cautiously optimistic about the data.

"I think we're trying to better understand if this is a one-year data point in terms of growth," he said.

There is one figure he points toward, however.

"The big piece here, from the data that we have, is that foreign immigration numbers are up," he said. "The question for me is, who are the types of people coming to our region from abroad? Are they more high-tech workers, or are they more people who are in the service economy?"

If this is indeed, the beginning of a trend, Bellisario said other metrics will need to turn around as well.

"It's good that we see those population numbers up. But, we'd like to see the job numbers going up at the same rate," he said.

If the region is moving back into growth mode, he asserts the creation of more housing will be even more crucial than it currently is.

"I do think there are still massive headwinds around housing affordability, there are quality of life issues, there's just a sense that there are very few places to live in our region that are close to job centers," he said.

Benkoski admits the cost of living is still something she's getting used to.

"I mean, it is expensive. My rent is literally more than 3x as much as we paid for my little studio back in St. Louis," she said.

But the life she's beginning to carve out in the Bay Area, accented by many little things about the region that make her smile, solidifies her decision to move here.

"I can't see myself leaving the Bay Area, honestly," she said.

She's planting roots in a region that appears to be ready to grow again.