The Silicon Valley Index is a nationally recognized publication that has been telling the Silicon Valley story since 1995. Released by Joint Venture and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation every February, the indicators measure the strength of our economy and the health of our community—highlighting challenges and providing an analytical foundation for leadership and decision making.

What is an Indicator?

Indicators are measurements that tell us how we are doing: whether we are going up or down, going forward or backward, getting better or worse, or staying the same. Good indicators:

• are bellwethers that reflect fundamentals of long-term regional health;
• reflect the interests and concerns of the community;
• are statistically measurable on a regular basis; and
• measure outcomes, rather than inputs.

How are the Indicators Chosen?

Every year a team of advisors recommends approximately 40 indicators to the Joint Venture board. More than half of these are retuning indicators that we track systematically over time; the remaining indicators are chosen for their ability to tell how our region is faring across a broad range of goal areas, that were adopted by the organization in 1998 as the Joint Venture Framework for Regional Progress.

Reach and Impact

• We're gratified that more than 1,200 people - from every sector of the community - gather for the State of the Valley Conference, where we release the Index, every February.
• Thousands of copies are downloaded from our website and distributed worldwide.
• Click here to see other indicator projects that have been started around the country.
• The information surfaced by the Index becomes the point of departure for all of the programs and initiatives that we undertake at Joint Venture.
• Click here to read what other regions say about the Index.