Report Child Poverty and the Social Safety Net in California By Caroline Danielson, Sarah Bohn Sep 29, 2014 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.
blog post How Has Poverty in California Changed over Time? By Caroline Danielson Jun 24, 2024 As part of an ongoing series commemorating PPIC's 30th anniversary, senior fellow Caroline Danielson reflects on key poverty trends and how the California Poverty Measure has shed light on prospects for addressing economic hardship.
data set Poverty across California, 2023 Oct 18, 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).
Fact Sheet Racial Disparities in California Arrests By Magnus Lofstrom, Justin Goss, Joseph Hayes, Brandon Martin Oct 14, 2019 Racial disparities in arrests have narrowed—but they are still prevalent across the state. Disparities tend to be larger in more affluent and less diverse counties.
Fact Sheet Income Inequality in California By Tess Thorman, Daniel Payares-Montoya Apr 17, 2024 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.
blog post Homeless Populations Are Rising around California By Jennifer Paluch, Joseph Herrera Feb 21, 2023 Between 2020 and 2022, California’s homeless population increased by 6%. While this growth was largely concentrated in urban areas, the number of people experiencing homelessness declined in San Francisco and Orange County.
blog post Steep Declines in Child Poverty Have Been Driven by Safety Net Programs By Caroline Danielson Oct 26, 2022 During the first two years of the pandemic, government interventions not only avoided an increase in poverty overall but also dramatically reduced poverty among children, according to the California Poverty Measure.
Fact Sheet The CalFresh Food Assistance Program By Caroline Danielson, Daniel Tan Sep 1, 2020 Participation in CalFresh—which helps millions of low-income Californians buy groceries—has risen amid the coronavirus pandemic. This fact sheet provides a snapshot of the program, including its impact on poverty and recent changes to expand access.
blog post Poverty in California Is High by Any Measure By Caroline Danielson, Tess Thorman, Sarah Bohn Sep 20, 2018 California continues to have one of the nation’s highest poverty rates. Within California, poverty is highest in certain coastal areas, including Los Angeles County.
Report New Insights into California Arrests: Trends, Disparities, and County Differences By Magnus Lofstrom, Brandon Martin, Justin Goss, Joseph Hayes Dec 3, 2018 Over the past few decades, arrests have declined dramatically—especially for misdemeanors. Though racial disparities have narrowed, the gap between African Americans and whites remains substantial. In 2016, the arrest rate for African Americans was three times the white arrest rate.
