For more than 150 years, UCSF has contributed to the health and economic vitality of the San Francisco Bay Area. Today it is a $5.4 billion economic engine that spurs growth and innovation throughout the region.
As a top-ranked academic medical center that conducts scientific research, cares for patients and educates health professionals and biomedical scientists, UCSF’s impact on the local economy is broad and varied, creating jobs in San Francisco and beyond, in health care, biotechnology and other industries, including construction.
In 2016, UCSF commissioned an economic and fiscal analysis, conducted by Economic & Planning Systems Inc., that examined this impact on the surrounding community.
Download the full report, or see highlights below.
Economic Powerhouse
UCSF’s growth has benefited the city of San Francisco and nine-county Bay Area, creating jobs and driving spending in the local economy.
Since 2009 – when the last analysis was conducted – UCSF’s economic output increased 28 percent to $6.5 billion in San Francisco, and 24 percent to $8.9 billion in the overall Bay Area. During the same period, job creation increased by 13 percent to 36,100 in San Francisco, and 18 percent to 42,700 in the Bay Area.
24,143
Total number of UCSF employees
42,700
Number of Bay Area jobs created by UCSF
$8.9 billion
UCSF's estimated economic output in the Bay Area
Top Employers in the Bay Area
UCSF is the second-largest employer in San Francisco, behind only the City and County of San Francisco, and it's the fourth-largest in the Bay Area.
Economic Output
Since 2009, total economic output in the Bay Area increased 28 percent to $6.5 billion in San Francisco, and 24 percent to $8.9 billion in the overall Bay Area.
Fiscal Impact on San Francisco
UCSF generates more revenues than costs to San Francisco’s General Fund, resulting in a positive net fiscal impact of approximately $928,000 annually.
Types of Jobs Created
UCSF’s impact on the local economy is broad and varied, creating jobs in San Francisco and beyond, in health care, biotechnology, education and other industries.
World-Class Research University
UCSF is widely recognized for its groundbreaking life sciences research, ranging from curiosity-driven basic science at the cellular level to clinical research that aims to solve the most vexing health problems such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
Ranking in the top five among universities nationally, UCSF is one of the most prominent institutions in the Bay Area in total R&D spending.
1,490
Number of UCSF patents in active use
185+
Startups attributed to UCSF between 1968 and mid-2015
1,763
Number of UCSF inventions in active use
National Institutes of Health Funding
In 2015, UCSF earned more than $563 million in highly competitive NIH biomedical research funding, steadily increasing its share in recent years even as overall NIH funding has leveled off.
Research & Development Spending
In 2015, UCSF accounts for 19 percent of the total research and development money spent in San Francisco, about $1.1 billion.
Top Medical Center
UCSF Health, a new health care system comprising UCSF Medical Center, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals and other entities, accounts for nearly $3.3 billion – of 60 percent – of UCSF's total operating budget.
Spending on UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay, which opened in 2015, was a critical local investment as San Francisco was emerging from the recession. In 2015, UCSF saw 43,127 hospital admissions, and more than 1.1 million outpatient visits.
$1.5 billion
Amount UCSF spent to build new medical center at Mission Bay
$41.4 million
Charity care (discounted health care to eligible patients)
$86.5 million
Uncompensated care (costs not covered by Medi-Cal)
- The 2010 Report
The 2010 Report
"The Power and Promise of UCSF," the University's first official economic impact report, was released in November 2010.
This report details the far-reaching economic impact and effect of UCSF. Standing as the fifth-largest employer in the nine-county Bay Area — and the second-largest in San Francisco, second only to the city itself — the University has proven itself essential to the economy of the state. This report examines the local, statewide and national impact of UCSF, while outlining the future plans of the leading life sciences university.
See a booklet showing report highlights »
