Why Does California Lead the Nation in Poverty?

Why Does California Lead the Nation in Poverty?
People line up to receive a free meal at the St. Anthony foundation dining room in San Francisco, Calif., on Sept. 16, 2010. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Updated:

California continues to lead the nation in poverty, according to a recent Census Bureau report.

The report (pdf), released in September 2019, measured states’ functional poverty rates, which takes into account the cost of living and other factors. California has the highest of any state, with about 18.2 percent of the population in poverty from 2016 to 2018.