In recent years, California has maintained a substantially higher poverty rate than the rest of the nation.
California is currently at 23.5% compared to the national rate of 16.1%. California's poverty rate is the highest among states in the nation, making California home to the largest population of people living in poverty in the US.
California is also home to the largest population of children living in poverty in the United States.
More than 1 out of every 5 children in California are living in poverty. At 23 percent of all of California's children more than 2.2 million children live in poverty. That is more than the total population of the cities of San Francisco and San Diego combined.
Why does this matter and what are we doing about it?
For years, California Partnership (CAP) has used the state budget as a vehicle to fight poverty by opposing drastic cuts to vital social programs and working to protect the social safety net. We recognize that the state budget is about choices and reflects priorities for California. When our elected representatives target health and human services, they are choosing to target those most suffering and sending a message that protecting our seniors, children, disabled persons, and families are not a priority in California. This is why we work to raise awareness of the impacts to these programs, the legislative process, and increase civic engagement.