Community Needs Report
Our Community. Our Challenges.
What the numbers say about housing, health, and the people we serve.
Silicon Valley is one of the wealthiest places on earth. But for many of our neighbors, that wealth feels invisible. This report uses data from the 2026 Silicon Valley Index to show what life really looks like for working families in our community.
HOUSING
$1.98M
The price of a typical home in the Bay Area
The average home in the U.S. costs around $420,000. Here it costs nearly $2 million. Most working families simply cannot buy.
44%
Renters stretched too thin
Nearly half of all renters spend more than 30% of what they earn on rent alone — leaving little left for food, healthcare, or emergencies.
12,900
People with nowhere to sleep tonight
That's roughly the size of a small town living on streets or in shelters across Santa Clara and San Mateo counties right now.
52,700
Hours lost to traffic every single day
Every day, people across our region collectively lose 52,700 hours sitting in traffic — time taken away from family, rest, and community. For families already stretched thin, long commutes make everything harder.
The cost of building just one affordable housing unit in Silicon Valley reached $824,000 in 2025 — up 26% since 2010, even after adjusting for inflation. Meanwhile, more than 310 million meals were distributed across our two counties last year, showing how deep the need runs even in the world's most innovative region.
HEALTH & MENTAL HEALTH
1 in 2
Teen girls struggling with mental health
At the peak in 2021, more than half of teenage girls in our region showed signs of serious emotional distress. Those numbers are still high today.
31%
Fewer people with health insurance this year
Federal policy changes in early 2026 caused a sharp drop in local health coverage. Thousands who had insurance last year no longer do.
1 in 4
Working families who can't make ends meet
Even families earning above the poverty line often can't afford housing, childcare, food, and transportation all at the same time.
13 pts
The health gap between insured and uninsured
Residents without health insurance are 13 percentage points less likely to report good health than those who are covered.
2x
More likely to have mental health problems
Teens who spend more than 3 hours a day on social media are twice as likely to have mental health problems.
THE BIG PICTURE
53:1
Private wealth vs. public resources
For every $1 local governments have to spend on our communities, private households hold $53. The money is here. It just isn't reaching everyone.
Silicon Valley is one of the richest places on earth. So why are 12,900 of our neighbors sleeping outside? Why can't half our renters pay rent AND put food on the table? The numbers don't add up — unless we do something about it.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
LAMVCF connects donors directly to the issues that matter most. Here are the funds working on the challenges in this report:
Housing: Mountain View Housing Partnership Fund
Mental health: Mental Health Matters Fund
Youth & Community: Penny and Roy Lave Youth and Community Fund
Equity & Opportunity: Passport Equity Fund
Emergency Preparedness: Community Disaster Response Fund
LGBTQ+ Support: Rainbow Solidarity Fund
There's truth in numbers.
Learn how you can help at lamvcf.org/designated-funds
Source: 2026 Silicon Valley Index, Joint Venture Silicon Valley