Nearly 8 million Californians, about 20 percent of the state, cannot adequately support themselves and their families, according to new figures from the Census Bureau. Those figures, which factor in cost of living, put California’s poverty rate about 5 percent higher than the national average. That bad news for Californians comes amid good news for the country as a whole, which saw incomes increase and poverty levels dip between 2014 and 2015. We look at the new numbers and discuss what the state is doing to mitigate the growth and effects of poverty.
Related Information:
- New Census Figures Show That Too Many Californians Are Struggling to Get By (California Budget and Policy Center)
- Californians Worry About Poverty, Income Inequality, Poll Finds (The California Report)