What it means to me

Venture capital is on the rise, and once again, Silicon Valley is growing thick with start-ups. Research and development funding in Silicon Valley has hit new highs, and corporate profits at area firms are generally robust. And yet, despite an environment in which entrepreneurship is strong, and established firms are by and large healthy, the Silicon Valley job market remains stagnant. Household income in the area is down, and troubling disparities persist in the areas …

…Valley becomes this world center for people working on innovative enterprises who can afford to live here, but at the same time, people who want and need to be here find that ours has turned into an economy that's not robust in terms of the middle," he said. That day hasn't arrived yet, Hancock said, but the study found that housing is so expensive that "it's difficult to retain young talent, teachers and service professionals."