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Income Inequality in California

By Tess Thorman, Daniel Payares-Montoya

California’s income gap narrowed in 2022, but the disparity between high and low incomes is wider in California than in most other states. Over the longer term, income inequality has been driven by earnings growth among college-educated workers.

Report

Income Inequality and Economic Opportunity in California

By Sarah Bohn, Dean Bonner, Julien Lafortune, Tess Thorman

The current recession threatens to deepen California’s economic divide and further reduce opportunities for low-income families, communities of color, and women. State policy actions could promote an equitable recovery and address widening income inequality.

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.

California Counts, Report

Population Mobility and Income Inequality in California

By Deborah Reed, Mary C. Daly, Heather N. Royer

Examines trends in family income inequality through 1999, focusing in particular on the relationship between inequality and population movement into and out of California. Finds that international immigration explains about one-third of California's growing inequality over the past three decades, while the substantial exodus from the state in the 1990s had little effect, since out-migrants tended to be in families at all levels of the income distribution.

blog post

Is College the Answer to Income Inequality?

By Hans Johnson, Marisol Cuellar Mejia

Educational attainment is by far the single most important determinant of an individual’s income. A key question, then, is whether improvements in educational outcomes can reduce inequality.

blog post

Tackling Regional Disparities in Economic Opportunity

By Sarah Bohn, Dean Bonner, Vicki Hsieh, Julien Lafortune

Economic opportunity varies across California, and COVID-19 could worsen these disparities. Public policies that aim to increase opportunity should seek to address differing conditions and needs across regions.

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