San Diego, Third Largest Life Science Market in US

Ryan Egli

San Diego is the third largest life science market in the country. From 2006 to 2016, San Diego’s life science employment has increased to 13.5%, nearly double than the national average of 6.9%, according to research from CBRE. The market is poised for more growth this year, thanks to increased venture capital investment. In 2018, $2.3 billion of venture capital investment flooded into the San Diego market, double the investment activity in 2017. This investment activity is directly linked to the market growth.

“Life science companies received a record amount of $2.6 billion in 2018, which was nearly two and a half times the previous annual record set last year,” Ryan Egli, SVP at CBRE, tells GlobeSt.com. “To put it in perspective, the total life science investment into San Diego over the last two years is more than the previous 5 years combined. Another factor that has contributed to the growth in San Diego life sciences has been the amount of talent and intellectual capital coming out of the universities and local research institutes. San Diego graduates more than 7,000 STEM professionals a year, which circulates young talent through the county and contributes greatly to the growth in the sector.”