San Diego indexes 86/100 on the Class A Atlas talent index, with deep life sciences, biotech, defense, and intelligence talent.

• Talent index: 86/100 (NYC = 100 baseline).
• Corporate tax: 27.9%.
• Talent depth and rent curve are correlated — top talent markets carry top rent.

TL;DR

• Talent index: 86/100 (NYC = 100 baseline).
• Corporate tax: 27.9%.
• Talent depth and rent curve are correlated — top talent markets carry top rent.

Talent depth

Deep life sciences, biotech, defense, and intelligence talent. UCSD and the Salk / Scripps research cluster anchor. Deep naval and Marine veteran talent pool.

Cost-to-locate

Total cost of locating in San Diego is the sum of rent, fit-out">fit-out, and salary delta vs. comparable markets. Use the City Comparator tool to benchmark San Diego against peer cities on a single normalised view.

Key facts

Frequently asked questions

Is San Diego a deep talent market for tech/finance?

Deep life sciences, biotech, defense, and intelligence talent. UCSD and the Salk / Scripps research cluster anchor. Deep naval and Marine veteran talent pool.

Editorial provenance

Reviewed by Miriam Hollander — Lead market analyst. Last updated 2026-04-15. See our methodology and editorial standards.

Primary sources for this page

• CBRE Marketview reports — CBRE
• JLL Office Insight — JLL
• Cushman & Wakefield Marketbeat — Cushman & Wakefield
• Savills World Research — Savills
• Colliers Global Office Outlook — Colliers

Full sources index · Submit a correction

Related topics

• Workplace Talent Strategy — How office location, building tier, and workplace experience shape talent attraction and retention.