However, housing starts and commercial space are growing in response to market demand. Employment has grown faster than local labor supply since 1994, creating pressure for more workers to commute into the region. Daily vehicle hours of delay in the region have escalated from a total of 8,800 in 1994 to 20,500 in 1996. At 12,000, new housing starts reached a 10-year high in 1997. Since 1992, however, Silicon Valley has created 200,000 jobs, but only 38,000 housing units.
New measures suggest increased corporate giving, and individual giving above the national average.
SAT scores among the region's students have improved in each of the last three years. The region exceeded state air standards four days in 1997. Low birth-weight babies declined slightly, but remain above the national target. Child immunizations have steadily increased since 1993.