California’s poverty rate remains nation’s highest

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(Sacramento Bee)  -  One in five Californians lives in poverty, the highest rate in the country, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The “Supplemental Poverty Measure,” factors in cost of living and shows a stubbornly high share of Golden State residents in poverty even as the national rate has dropped slightly.

Under the methodology, an estimated 20.4 percent of Californians lived below the poverty line in a three-year average of 2014, 2015 and 2016. That is virtually unchanged from the 20.6 percent average for 2013, 2014 and 2015, according to Tuesday’s release.

Nationwide, 14.7 percent of people lived in poverty under the supplemental measure during the latest three-year average. That is down slightly from 15.1 percent for the previous three years.

Experts said California’s higher supplemental rate reflects the impact of higher housing prices and other costs. “Californians are more likely to be poor than residents in any other state,” said Sara Kimberlin, senior policy analyst at the California Budget and Policy Center.

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