Jobs Housing Balance
A central premise of environmentally beneficial development is the concept of the Jobs-Housing Balance. In our region, it is generally accepted that a Jobs/Housing ratio of 1.4-1.5 is healthy for a community to economically exist while minimizing the impacts of daily commuter traffic [1]. Achieving this ratio supports housing that is affordable, and employment opportunities that are closer to those residences.
In the San Francisco Bay Area Megaregion, the counties with too high a ratio (too many jobs or too few houses) are Santa Clara, San Mateo and San Franciso. Those with a deficient ratio (too many houses or too few jobs) include San Joaquin. The remaining counties in the Bay Area are somewhat balanced.
EDD maintains a good volume of information about employment destinations and where the workers live [3]
