This table contains data on the living wage and the percent of families with incomes below the living wage for California, its counties, regions and cities/towns. Living wage is the wage needed to cover basic family expenses (basic needs budget) plus all relevant taxes; it does not include publicly provided income or housing assistance. The percent of families below the living wage was calculated using data from the Living Wage Calculator and the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. The table is part of a series of indicators in the Healthy Communities Data and Indicators Project of the Office of Health Equity. The living wage is the wage or annual income that covers the cost of the bare necessities of life for a worker and his/her family. These necessities include housing, transportation, food, childcare, health care, and payment of taxes. Low income populations and non-white race/ethnic have disproportionately lower wages, poorer housing, and higher levels of food insecurity. More information about the data table and a data dictionary can be found in the About/Attachments section.

This table contains data on the percent of households paying more than 30% (or 50%) of monthly household income towards housing costs for California, its regions, counties, cities/towns, and census tracts. Data is from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Consolidated Planning Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) and the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS). The table is part of a series of indicators in the [Healthy Communities Data and Indicators Project of the Office of Health Equity] Affordable, quality housing is central to health, conferring protection from the environment and supporting family life. Housing costs—typically the largest, single expense in a family's budget—also impact decisions that affect health. As housing consumes larger proportions of household income, families have less income for nutrition, health care, transportation, education, etc. Severe cost burdens may induce poverty—which is associated with developmental and behavioral problems in children and accelerated cognitive and physical decline in adults. Low-income families and minority communities are disproportionately affected by the lack of affordable, quality housing. More information about the data table and a data dictionary can be found in the Attachments.

Housing-Burdened Low-Income Households. Percent of households in a census tract that are both low income (making less than 80% of the HUD Area Median Family Income) and severely burdened by housing costs (paying greater than 50% of their income to housing costs). (5-year estimates, 2013-2017).

The cost and availability of housing is an important determinant of well- being. Households with lower incomes may spend a larger proportion of their income on housing. The inability of households to afford necessary non-housing goods after paying for shelter is known as housing-induced poverty. California has very high housing costs relative to much of the country, making it difficult for many to afford adequate housing. Within California, the cost of living varies significantly and is largely dependent on housing cost, availability, and demand.

Areas where low-income households may be stressed by high housing costs can be identified through the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) data. We measure households earning less than 80% of HUD Area Median Family Income by county and paying greater than 50% of their income to housing costs. The indicator takes into account the regional cost of living for both homeowners and renters, and factors in the cost of utilities. CHAS data are calculated from US Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS).

In 2023, the number of Hispanic and Latino residents in California had surpassed the number of White residents, with about ***** million Hispanics compared to ***** million White residents. California’s residents California has always held a special place in the American imagination as a place where people can start a new life and increase their personal fortunes. Perhaps due partly to this, California is the most populous state in the United States, with over ** million residents, which is a significant increase from the number of residents in 1960. California is also the U.S. state with the largest population of foreign born residents. The Californian economy The Californian economy is particularly strong and continually contributes a significant amount to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the United States. Its per-capita GDP is also high, which indicates a high standard of living for its residents. Additionally, the median household income in California has more than doubled from 1990 levels.

Out of all 50 states, New York had the highest per-capita real gross domestic product (GDP) in 2024, at 92,341 U.S. dollars, followed closely by Massachusetts. Mississippi had the lowest per-capita real GDP, at 41,603 U.S. dollars. While not a state, the District of Columbia had a per capita GDP of more than 210,780 U.S. dollars. What is real GDP? A country’s real GDP is a measure that shows the value of the goods and services produced by an economy and is adjusted for inflation. The real GDP of a country helps economists to see the health of a country’s economy and its standard of living. Downturns in GDP growth can indicate financial difficulties, such as the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009, when the U.S. GDP decreased by 2.5 percent. The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on U.S. GDP, shrinking the economy 2.8 percent. The U.S. economy rebounded in 2021, however, growing by nearly six percent. Why real GDP per capita matters Real GDP per capita takes the GDP of a country, state, or metropolitan area and divides it by the number of people in that area. Some argue that per-capita GDP is more important than the GDP of a country, as it is a good indicator of whether or not the country’s population is getting wealthier, thus increasing the standard of living in that area. The best measure of standard of living when comparing across countries is thought to be GDP per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP) which uses the prices of specific goods to compare the absolute purchasing power of a countries currency.

The index ranges from 0.0, when all families (households) have equal shares of income (implies perfect equality), to 1.0 when one family (household) has all the income and the rest have none (implies perfect inequality). Index data is provided for California and its counties, regions, and large cities/towns. The data is from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. The table is part of a series of indicators in the Healthy Communities Data and Indicators Project of the Office of Health Equity. Income is linked to acquiring resources for healthy living. Both household income and the distribution of income across a society independently contribute to the overall health status of a community. On average Western industrialized nations with large disparities in income distribution tend to have poorer health status than similarly advanced nations with a more equitable distribution of income. Approximately 119,200 (5%) of the 2.4 million U.S. deaths in 2000 are attributable to income inequality. The pathways by which income inequality act to increase adverse health outcomes are not known with certainty, but policies that provide for a strong safety net of health and social services have been identified as potential buffers.Dataset taken from https://data.chhs.ca.gov/dataset/income-inequalityData Dictionary: COLUMN NAMEDEFINITIONFORMATCODINGind_idIndicator IDPlain Text770ind_definitionDefinition of indicator in plain languagePlain TextFree textreportyearYear(s) that the indicator was reportedPlain Text2005-2007, 2008-2010, 2006-2010. 2005-2007, 2008-2010, and 2006-2010 data is from the American Community Survey (ACS), U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is a continuous survey. ACS estimates are period estimates that describe the average characteristics of the population in a period of data collection. The multiyear estimates are averages of the characteristics over several years. For example, the 2005-2007 ACS 3-year estimates are averages over the period from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2007. Multiyear estimates cannot be used to say what was going on in any particular year in the period, only what the average value is over the full time period (Source: http://www.census.gov/acs/www/about_the_survey/american_community_survey/).race_eth_codenumeric code for a race/ethnicity groupPlain Text9=Totalrace_eth_nameName of race/ethnic groupPlain Text9=TotalgeotypeType of geographic unitPlain TextPL=Place (includes cities, towns, and census designated places -CDP-. It does not include unincorporated communities); CO=County; RE=region; CA=StategeotypevalueValue of geographic unitPlain Text9-digit Census tract code; 5-digit FIPS place code; 5-digit FIPS county code; 2-digit region ID; 2-digit FIPS state codegeonameName of geographic unitPlain Textplace name, county name, region name, or state namecounty_nameName of county that geotype is inPlain TextNot available for geotypes RE and CAcounty_fipsFIPS code of county that geotype is inPlain Text2-digit census state code (06) plus 3-digit census county coderegion_nameMetopolitan Planning Organization (MPO)-based region name: see MPO_County List TabPlain TextMetropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) regions as reported in the 2010 California Regional Progress Report (http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/tpp/offices/orip/Collaborative%20Planning/Files/CARegionalProgress_2-1-2011.pdf).region_codeMetopolitan Planning Organization (MPO)-based region code: see MPO_CountyList tabPlain Text01=Bay Area; 08=Sacramento Area; 09=San Diego; 14=Southern CaliforniaNumber_HouseholdsNumber of households in a jurisdictionNumericGini_indexCumulative percentage of household income relative to the cumulative percentage of the number of households expressed on a 0 to 1 scale called the Gini Index. The index ranges from 0.0, when all families (households) have equal shares of income, to 1.0, when one family (household) has all the income and the rest none (https://www.census.gov/prod/2000pubs/p60-204.pdf).NumericLL_95CILower limit of 95% confidence intervalNumericLower limit of 95% confidence interval. The 95% confidence limits depict the range within which the percentage would probably occur in 95 of 100 sets of data (if data similar to the present set were independently acquired on 100 separate occasions). In five of those 100 data sets, the percentage would fall outside the limits.UL_95CIUpper limit of 95% confidence intervalNumericUpper limit of 95% confidence interval. The 95% confidence limits depict the range within which the percentage would probably occur in 95 of 100 sets of data (if data similar to the present set were independently acquired on 100 separate occasions). In five of those 100 data sets, the percentage would fall outside the limits.seStandard error of percent NumericThe standard error (SE) of the estimate of the mean is a measure of the precision of the sample mean. The standard error falls as the sample size increases. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1255808/)rseRelative standard error (se/percent * 100) expressed as a percentNumericThe relative standard error (RSE) provides the rational basis for determining which rates may be considered “unreliable.” Conforming to National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) standards, rates that are calculated from fewer than 20 data elements, the equivalent of an RSE of 23 percent or more, are considered unreliable. From: http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/ohir/Documents/OHIRProfiles2014.pdfCA_decileDecilesNumeric"CA_decile" groups places or census tracts into 10 groups (or deciles) according to the distribution of values of the index (Gini_index). The first decile (1) corresponds to the highest Gini indices; the tenth decile (10) corresponds to the lowest Gini indices. Equal values or 'ties' are assigned the mean decile rank. For example, in a database of 100 records where 70 records equal 0, 0 values span from the 1st to 7th deciles (70% of all data records). As a result, all 0 values will be assigned to the 4th decile: the mean between the 1st and 7th deciles. The deciles are only calculated for places and/or census tracts.CA_RRIndex ratio to state indexNumericRatio of local index to state index. This indicates how many times the local index is higher or lower than the state index (Reference: http://health.mo.gov/training/epi/RateRatio-b.html). Values higher than 1 indicate local index is higher than state index.Median_HH_incomeMedian household income data is provided for users to stratify the Gini index by income deciles for places and countiesNumericMedian_HH_decileMedian household income data is provided for users to stratify the Gini index by income deciles for places and countiesNumericversionDate/time stamp of version of dataDate/Timemm/DD/CCYY hh:mm:ss

In 2024, Santa Cruz-Watsonville, California, households needed an hourly wage of almost 78 U.S. dollars to afford the rent of a two-bedroom apartment. San Francisco had one of the least affordable two-bedroom apartments, as a household would have to earn at least 64.6 U.S. dollars hourly to afford rent . These figures are considerably higher than the average minimum wage, which is in place in many states. There was no state in which a minimum wage worker could afford rent for the average two-bedroom apartment, if they only worked 40 hours a week.

In 2025, households in California needed an hourly wage of over 50 U.S. dollars to afford the rent of a two-bedroom apartment. Hawaii had the second-least affordable two-bedroom apartments, as a household would have to earn at least around 49 U.S. dollars per hour in order to afford rent payments. These figures are considerably higher than the average minimum wage in place in many states. There was no state in which a minimum wageworker could afford rent for the average two-bedroom apartment, if they worked 40 hours a week. Where are the least affordable counties and metros? The least affordable rents were predominately in Californian counties and metropolitan areas in 2025. District of Columbia has the highest minimum wages in the country, which stood at 17.5 U.S. dollars per hour as of January 2025. Thus, the affordability of two-bedroom apartments highlights how disproportionately high housing costs are in the state.

In January 2025, apartment rents recorded an annual growth in most U.S. states. Nevertheless, the national average rent declined by about *** percent. West Virginia was the state with the largest rental increase, while Colorado measured the largest decline. California, one of the most expensive states to rent an apartment, such as California, saw an increase of about *** percent from the previous year. How much should you earn to afford to rent an apartment in different states in the U.S.? Both employment opportunities and the living costs vary widely across the country. In California, which is among the most competitive housing markets in the U.S., the hourly wage needed to afford a two-bedroom apartment rental was roughly ** U.S. dollars, more than twice higher than in North Carolina, Louisiana, or Michigan in 2024. When it comes to the median household income, on the other hand, California does not even make it in the top ten states. How much should you earn to afford a home in some of U.S. largest metros? In 2022, the annual salary needed to buy a median-priced home in the U.S. was ****** U.S. dollars. However, in some of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States, where housing prices are up to two or three times higher, homebuyers would have to earn more than 100,000 U.S. dollars to afford a home. In San Jose, which was the most expensive metro, the annual salary needed for a median-priced home was approximately ******* U.S. dollars.