California’s 19% poverty rate, though improved, ties state for first in U.S.
“Nearly one in five Californians still lives in poverty despite the state’s vigorous recovery from the Great Recession and its low unemployment rate. The latest numbers, a reflection of the state’s high housing costs and low wages, show 19 percent are poor, some 7.5 million people. The calculation, released Wednesday by the U.S. Census, represents a 1.4 percent improvement over last year. California is statistically tied for first with Louisiana and Florida as having the highest poverty rate among the 50 states. Nationally, 14.1 percent of Americans are poor.”