Nine households control 15% of wealth in Silicon Valley as inequality widens

by UB Center for Urban Studies · 07/25/2025

Report finds that wealth divide widened in Silicon Valley at double the rate of the whole US over the past decade

Economic inequality has reached a staggering milestone in Silicon Valley: just nine households hold 15% of the region’s wealth, according to new research from San Jose State University. A mere 0.1% of residents hold 71% of the tech hub’s wealth.

The findings come from the 2025 “Silicon Valley Pain Index”, a report published by SJSU’s Human Rights Institute each year since 2020. The report aims to quantify “structured inequalities” in Silicon Valley, and measures “pain” as “both personal and community distress or suffering”.

This year’s index reports that the wealth divide has widened in Silicon Valley at double the rate of the whole United States over the past decade. The nine wealthiest households in the valley control $683.2bn – a $136bn increase over the past year.

At the same time, 110,000 households reported nearly none or no assets.

By: Cecilia Nowell

July 21, 2025

Read the full story here: The Guardian