2023 Life Science Economic Impact Report
The Economic Impact of Life Science in California
The 2023 Biocom California Life Science Economic Impact Report, created in partnership with Deloitte, provides data on the performance of the life science industry in California during 2022. The report includes an overview of the economic impact in terms of jobs, labor income, and business output, along with key trends impacting the industry during the year.
Download Full Data BookCalifornia continues to be the leading innovation hub for the life science industry, and the 2023 Economic Impact Report provides key data on the impact it has on the state and regional economies. When we create a business environment that encourages innovation, we unleash scientific creativity, leading to medical breakthroughs that will forever improve human health. The life sciences are a robust economic engine in California, with companies of all sizes dedicated to addressing significant unmet medical needs. It’s clear the work the industry does every day has a significant impact on California, providing high-paying jobs directly and indirectly across the state.
Joe Panetta
President and CEO, Biocom California
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California At-A-Glance
The life science industry has a wide-reaching economic impact in California. The industry supports 1.19 million jobs, $129.6 billion in labor and sole proprietor income, and $413.7 billion in business output. Life science organizations in California expanded employment by 6.0 percent in 2022, which outpaced all other industries in California (4.2 percent) as well as the US overall (3.5 percent) during the period.
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Bay Area Life Science Industry
The Bay Area region comprising nine counties—Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma—together employed 158,449 life science workers in 2022, which represented seven percent growth on the previous year. The largest employment gains came from research and development in biotechnology and analytical laboratory manufacturing, which added 4,248 jobs and 4,128 jobs to the Bay Area during the year, respectively.
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Greater Los Angeles Life Science Industry
The Los Angeles region is composed of three counties—Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Ventura—which together employed 97,117 life science workers in 2022, representing a four percent increase on the previous year. The largest employment gains came from expansions at college, university, and professional schools as well as R&D in biotechnology organizations, which added 2,050 jobs and 695 jobs to the regional economy in 2022, respectively.
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Orange County Life Science Industry
Orange County employed 63,684 workers in 2022, which represented a four percent increase on the previous year. The largest job gains came from expansions at medical laboratories as well as surgical and medical instrument manufacturing operations, which added 471 and 399 jobs to the state economy during the year, respectively.
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San Diego Life Science Industry
In 2022, life science employment grew by eight percent overall in the San Diego region, continuing to solidify its position as one of the country’s preeminent life science research destinations. The cluster is anchored around the coastal suburb of Torrey Pines, home to UC San Diego and a number of private research institutions, including Scripps Research, the Salk Institute, and the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute.