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California's High Poverty Rates Continue To Lead The Nation
A sign reading "Housing is a Human Right, and House the Homeless" is placed on a fence near a tent housing the homeless near the Honda Center in Anaheim, California on January 23, 2018.
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FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images
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California's High Poverty Rates Continue To Lead The Nation
By some measures, California is the wealthiest state in the country. But new Census data released Tuesday shows the state continuing to lead the nation in poverty. When the state’s high cost of living is taken into consideration, 18.2% of Californians live in poverty.
California may have a booming tech industry, an economy larger than the United Kingdom’s and more billionaires than any other state. But soaring rents and stagnant wages for low-income workers continue to keep California's poverty rate high.
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