were produced in total in the Bay Area in 2024
Housing production in 2024 was 12% lower than the average of the previous five years
of housing units produced in 2024 were multi-family homes
Introduction
How much housing are we building?
Housing production is assessed by the annual change in the number of housing units within local jurisdictions, including single-family homes, multi-family homes and mobile homes. This measurement accounts for units added through new construction and annexations, as well as units removed due to demolitions or natural disasters. Additionally, it adjusts for units lost or gained through conversions. Housing production data provides an understanding of the demand for housing and the development climate in a region. Like housing permit statistics, housing production totals are an indicator of growth.
Regional Performance
While housing construction increased over the past decade, production in recent years continues to lag behind the rates reached during the 2000s.
Housing production in the Bay Area hit a low of 7,000 units in 2010 after the Great Recession. By 2020, it had more than doubled to nearly 17,000 units annually. Despite a rebound after the pandemic dip, production in the 2020s remains below late 1990s and early 2000s levels. This reflects that the region has not been producing the housing needed to keep up with demand, a consistent trend over the past several decades that has resulted in a generally constrained housing supply.
In recent decades, production of multi-family units has surpassed production of single-family homes. From 1990 to 2010, single-family homes dominated construction. Since 2011, multi-family housing has taken the lead, making up 61% of all units in 2024, totaling over 11,900 units.
of housing units produced in 1990 were multi-family homes, compared with 61% in 2024
So far in the 2020s, the Bay Area has produced an average of 21,000 housing units per year, compared with an average of 23,200 per year in the 2000s
Historical Trend for Housing Production
Local Focus
In 2024, a majority of the region’s housing production consisted of construction of multi-family properties in Alameda, Santa Clara, Sonoma and San Mateo counties.
In 2024, 70% of housing units in the Bay Area were built in Alameda, Santa Clara, Sonoma and San Mateo counties, with 67% being multi-family housing. This trend is in part driven by demand for rental housing near job centers in major cities and Silicon Valley. While multi-family housing dominated most of the region, single-family home construction was still prevalent in Contra Costa, Marin and Solano counties.
Natural disasters, especially wildfires, have negatively impacted housing production in the Bay Area. The region is still recovering from the loss of thousands of homes. In 2017, Sonoma County lost around 4,600 housing units, mainly due to wildfires destroying over 4,700 single-family homes.
In 2024, 58% of housing units produced in the Bay Area were constructed in Alameda, Santa Clara and Sonoma counties
Solano County built the highest proportion of single-family houses (99%) in 2024
Housing Production by City and Unincorporated Area by Decade
Sources & Methodology
Housing production is inferred from the annual differential of housing units from the California Department of Finance E-5 and E-8 housing unit estimates by jurisdiction from 1990-2025, yielding annual housing production estimates for 1990-2024.
California Department of Finance, Form E-8
1990-2019
California Department of Finance, Form E-5
2020-2025