Poverty in California remains highest in US, tied with Louisiana, report says

‘In 2021, California’s poverty rate reached a historic low of 11%, but as pandemic-era policies came to an end, rates surged in the state and across the US.’ Photograph: Mike Blake/Reuters

A new report shows California has the highest poverty rate in the US, alongside Louisiana, and rates have shown little improvement.

Despite the abundant wealth in the state – more billionaires live in California than anywhere else in the US – in 2024 about 7 million people, or 17.7% of residents, could not afford to cover their basic needs. In 2021, California’s poverty rate reached a historic low of 11%, but as pandemic-era policies came to an end, rates surged in the state and across the US, according to the report from the California Budget and Policy Center released last week.