Support for LAist comes from

16.1% of LA County Residents Live in Poverty

Published Sep 28, 2010 11:00 PM

Stories like these are only possible with your help!

You have the power to keep local news strong for the coming months. Your financial support today keeps our reporters ready to meet the needs of our city. Thank you for investing in your community.

Census Bureau data released yesterday shows an increase in the poverty rate as reported in Los Angeles County, according to LA Now.

Up from 15.2% in 2008, the 2009 figure for the County is 16.1%; over "1.56 million county residents lived below the poverty threshold, which is $10,956 for one person and $21,954 for a family of four."

Other statistics from the Census data for LA County:
- Median household income declined to $54,467 (from $55,356)
- About 29% of workers employed full-time earned less than $25k in 2009
- 22.6% of the county population did not have health insurance in 2009
- Poverty by race: 21.9% of Latinos, 19.7% of African Americans, 10.5% of Asians, and 9.3% of whites were below the poverty line in 2009.

Comparatively, the poverty rate as reported in the state was 15.3%, while nationwide the figure is 14.3%.

Keep up with LAist

16.1% of LA County Residents Live in Poverty