Los Angeles Almanac Logo
Home | All Almanac Topics | Social Welfare

Population in Poverty
Los Angeles County

2010 Census Estimates*

See most recent Census estimates.


ALL PERSONS Living Below Poverty Level

Population Total Population Population Below Poverty Level† Percent of Total Population Below Poverty‡
Total population for whom poverty status is determined 9,678,817 1,697,465 17.54%

Living Below Poverty Level by AGE

Population Total Population Population Below Poverty Level† Percent of Total Population Below Poverty‡
Under 18 years 2,367,269 579,151 24.46%
Under 5 years 582,527 110,344 18.94%
5 to 17 years 1,563,190 308,798 19.75%
Related children of householder under 18 years 2,356,625 569,426 24.16%
Population Total Population Population Below Poverty Level† Percent of Total Population Below Poverty‡
18 to 64 years 6,270,393 982,660 15.67%
18 to 34 years 2,506,182 343,985 13.73%
35 to 64 years 3,889,704 460,445 11.84%
60 years+ 1,902,863 248,664 13.07%
65 years+ 1,041,155 135,654 13.03%

Living Below Poverty Level by SEX

Population Total Population Population Below Poverty Level† Percent of Total Population Below Poverty‡
Female 4,914,492 924,644 18.81%
Male 4,764,325 772,821 16.22%

Living Below Poverty Level by RACE

Population Total Population Population Below Poverty Level† Percent of Total Population Below Poverty‡
American Indian and Alaska Native alone 40,644 10,939 26.91%
Asian alone 1,340,907 172,752 12.88%
Black or African American alone 809,080 183,691 22.70%
Native Hawaiian & Other Pacific Islander alone 23,215 3,498 15.07%
White alone, not Hispanic or Latino 2,663,753 267,523 10.04%
Population Total Population Population Below Poverty Level† Percent of Total Population Below Poverty‡
Some other race alone 1,999,996 497,306 24.87%
Two or more races 359,352 48,476 13.49%
Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race) 4,654,635 1,049,860 22.56%

Living Below Poverty Level by EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Population Total Population Population Below Poverty Level† Percent of Total Population Below Poverty‡
Total persons 25 years+ 6,300,888 891,890 14.15%
Less than high school graduate 1,519,969 389,011 25.59%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 1,280,803 204,720 15.98%
Some college, associate's degree 1,649,518 181,575 11.01%
Bachelor's degree or higher 1,850,598 116,584 6.30%

Living Below Poverty Level by EMPLOYMENT STATUS

Population Total Population Population Below Poverty Level† Percent of Total Population Below Poverty‡
Total civilian labor force 16 years+ 4,996,210 538,155 10.77%
Employed 4,375,018 360,997 8.25%
Female 2,000,145 168,276 8.41%
Male 2,374,873 192,721 8.12%
Population Total Population Population Below Poverty Level† Percent of Total Population Below Poverty‡
Unemployed 621,192 177,158 28.52%
Female 274,678 81,877 29.81%
Male 346,514 95,281 27.50%

* U.S. Census estimates based on American Community Survey data collected over the preceeding year. These estimates are issued annually between full Decennial Census counts conducted each decade.

† The U.S. Census determines a person's poverty status from the total family income of their household in the last 12 months, compared with the poverty threshold appropriate for their family size and composition. If the total income of their family is less than the threshold appropriate for that family, the person is considered “below the poverty level,” together with every member of his or her family. If a person is not living with anyone related by birth, marriage, or adoption, then their own individual income is compared with the poverty threshold for a single-person household. The total number of people below the poverty level is the sum of people in families and the number of unrelated individuals with incomes in the last 12 months below the poverty threshold. For more information, see How the Census Bureau Measures Poverty.

‡ Percent of that particular segment of the total population determined to be living below the poverty level.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau