County’s life sciences a boon to region

San Diego County ranks third in the nation as a center for the Life Science industry after Bos­ton and the San Francisco Bay Area. As Vice Chair of Assem­bly Health Committee and a member of the Assembly Select Committee on Biotechnology, I advocate for affordable and accessible life saving innova­tions that enhance the quality of life for millions of patients. Overall, California leads the nation in research and devel­opment (R&D) investment and labor. Wages paid to life scienc­es employees in 2023 were $57 billion, with 441,770 directly employed life science workers in the state’s 18,078 life science establishments. Their average wage was $166,538.

The importance of the in­dustry to the San Diego region cannot be overstated. The total economic output of the life sci­ences industry is $56.6 billion, and we receive $2.2 billion in funding from the National In­stitutes of Health and the Na­tional Science Foundation. We have 75,816 workers directly employed by the industry in 1,966 life science establish­ments, with another 178,143 jobs supported in related indus­tries. The average annual sal­ary for local life science workers is $163,177.

With outstanding institu­tions like the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the Sanford Burnham Medical Re­search Institute, this region has the highest density of biophysi­cists, chemists and biochemists in the nation. We have a huge number of small pharmaceu­tical startups and incubators, with San Diego being one of the fastest-rising life sciences hubs in the world. Venture invest­ment in local biotech and medi­cal devices reached $1.5 billion in 2023; a slight downturn from the previous year but still above pre-COVID norms.

The Life Science industry’s impact, both medially and eco­nomically, is immense. Our state and region are on the lead­ing edge of medical research, innovation, and employment. I am proud to salute the Life Sci­ences industry and its ongoing role in supporting and enhanc­ing life-saving medical research.

Assemblymember Marie Waldron, R- Valley Center, represents the 75th Assembly District in the Cali­fornia Legislature, which includes the most of rural eastern and northern San Diego County.