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Fact Sheet

Poverty in California

By Sarah Bohn, Caroline Danielson, Sara Kimberlin, Patricia Malagon

With the end of many pandemic relief programs, poverty rates—especially for children—have gone up in the last two years.

Report

The California Poverty Measure: A New Look at the Social Safety Net

By Caroline Danielson, Sarah Bohn, Matt Levin, Marybeth Mattingly

A new way of measuring poverty in California shows that 22 percent of residents lived in poor families in 2011. It also underscores the importance of the social safety net for many families in the state. The safety net’s impact on children is especially dramatic—without the need-based programs included in the new measure, 39 percent (or 3.6 million California children) would be considered poor. A companion report released by the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality examines regional and demographic differences in poverty.

This research was supported with funding from The Walter S. Johnson Foundation.

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California Poverty by County and Legislative District

These interactive maps show average poverty rates from the first quarter of 2023 for counties, congressional districts, state senate districts, and state assembly districts, according to the California Poverty Measure (CPM).

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Poverty across California, 2023

This data set contains information on poverty from the first quarter of 2023 for all of California’s counties, congressional districts, state senate districts, and state assembly districts, calculated according to the California Poverty Measure (CPM).

blog post

Fewer California Adults and Far Fewer Children Are in Poverty in 2021

By Caroline Danielson, Patricia Malagon

New census data show that poverty in California declined among both adults and children last year. While economic downturns typically cause poverty to rise, pandemic relief measures drove a continued decline, especially among children.

Report

The Impact of Health Insurance on Poverty in California

By Caroline Danielson, Patricia Malagon, Shannon McConville

The Affordable Care Act has helped millions of Californians gain health insurance over the past decade. In addition to improving access to care, the ACA has increased financial well-being. This analysis focuses on the significant contribution of publicly funded health coverage—particularly Medi-Cal—to family resources across the state.

Fact Sheet

The Working Poor in California

By Sarah Bohn, Caroline Danielson, Sara Kimberlin, Patricia Malagon

Most poor families in California are working. Poverty rates among working adults are highest in southern, coastal California.

Report

Income Inequality and the Safety Net in California

By Caroline Danielson, Sarah Bohn

Income inequality has been growing for decades, in California and the nation as a whole. In recent years, inequality—and the role of policy in addressing it—has become a major focus of public debate. This report documents the polarization of incomes across the state and shows how social safety net programs mitigate inequality.

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The California Poverty Measure: A New Look at the Social Safety Net

About the Program
How many Californians are poor, and how effectively does the social safety net address need? Research fellow Caroline Danielson introduces a new measure that reassesses the depth and breadth of economic hardship and highlights the impact of programs that alleviate poverty in California.

This research is supported with funding from The Walter S. Johnson Foundation.

SPEAKER
Caroline Danielson, research fellow, PPIC

blog post

Is California the Poorest State?

By Caroline Danielson, Sarah Bohn

One poverty measure ranked California as the poorest state in the U.S. But according to the latest official estimates, 16 states had higher poverty rates. How do we make sense of this?

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