California's Working Poor. The Poverty Rate in the State is 19% and Four in Five Working Age Peo
Nearly one in five Californians were living in poverty last year. According to just released US Census calculations, California's poverty rate is 19%. Statewide, nearly four in five working-age people in poverty were employed. California was statistically tied for first with Louisiana and Florida as having the highest poverty rate among the 50 states. Nationally, 14.1 percent of Americans were poor. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro area, renters with an income of $34,308 and homeowners with a mortgage earning $34,424 were deemed below the poverty line. In the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metro area, the equivalent numbers were $29,038 and $29,128, respectively.
