Vital Signs: Get the Data

Vital Signs is a website created by MTC and the Association of Bay Area Governments that tracks data trends in five key areas: land and people, transportation, economy, environment and equity. This free resource brings together large quantities of data in a way that is relatable and understandable – even for people who are not data scientists.

Vital Signs helps Bay Area residents, researchers and local agency staff explore the data through three lenses: a local focus, regional performance and national context. Users can examine historical trends, similarities and differences within the region, as well as the Bay Area’s competitiveness with other major metropolitan areas like New York or Los Angeles.

The information is downloadable both as raw data and as pre-formatted charts and graphs. Each of the 41 indicators includes a narrative that provides context and framing to make the information easier to understand. All information on the website is free and available to anyone who visits the site.

The VitalSigns.mtc.ca.gov website has been newly redesigned to improve the user experience. The new website design and layout will help users find what they're looking for faster and also invite more open-ended exploration across the site. Additionally, the data and narratives for approximately half of the Vital Signs indicators have been updated to reflect the post-COVID-19 world. More refreshed data and narratives will be available in future updates to Vital Signs.

Use the Vital Signs website to find answers to questions like:

• Where do people in the Bay Area live?
• How are Bay Area workers getting to their jobs?
• How much do Bay Area residents rely on public transportation?
• How much are Bay Area households making each year?

The data in Vital Signs come from a variety of national, state and regional sources. These data have been collected, processed and combined so that they can be easily visualized and downloaded by all website users.

The Vital Signs initiative is led jointly by MTC and the Association of Bay Area Governments, and relies on extensive collaboration with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, and the Bay Area Regional Collaborative.