Donate
PPIC Logo Independent, objective, nonpartisan research

Search Results

Filters Sort by:
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.

interactive

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).

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.

blog post

California’s High Housing Costs Increase Poverty

By Patricia Malagon, Caroline Danielson

Many families across the state struggle to afford housing, and periods of rising home prices—such as the pandemic recession—can pose a particularly large challenge.

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.

Report

Geography of Child Poverty in California

By Caroline Danielson, Sarah Bohn

One-quarter of young children across the state live in poverty. In inland regions, reducing child poverty requires efforts to improve job opportunities. In many coastal regions, increasing access to affordable housing will help.

Report

Child Poverty and the Social Safety Net in California

By Caroline Danielson, Sarah Bohn

Because economic hardship is associated with a host of adverse outcomes, particularly for children, policies that can give children a better start in life are especially important. This report focuses on measuring material hardship among children across the state. Using the California Poverty Measure—which accounts for both family earnings and safety net resources and adjusts for work expenses and housing costs—we find that one-quarter of California’s children are in poverty. An additional 26 percent of children live in households that are "near poor,” or somewhat above what is often referred to as the poverty line. In short, about half of California’s children are poor or near-poor. Poverty rates, earnings, and the role of safety net resources all vary by region. But most poor children live in "working poor” families, with one or more working adults. And, without resources from the social safety net—which includes the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, CalFresh (California’s food stamp program), CalWORKs (California’s welfare program), and housing subsidies—there would be far more children in poverty throughout California.

Policy Brief

Policy Brief: The Impact of Health Insurance on Poverty in California

By Caroline Danielson, Patricia Malagon, Shannon McConville, Mary Severance

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 enhanced financial well-being. This work focuses on the significant contribution of publicly funded health coverage—particularly Medi-Cal—to family resources across the state.

blog post

Geographic Variation in Poverty across California

By Tess Thorman

Poverty in California varies dramatically by region. PPIC's new interactive maps show these disparities across counties and US congressional, state senate, and state assembly districts.

Search results are limited to 100 items. Please use the Refine Results tool if you are not finding what you are looking for.