Overview

• Roughly 7 million Californians lived in poverty last year under the Census Bureau’s supplemental measure, which adjusts for local living costs.
• Housing remains the primary driver of hardship, with 27.1% of renters in poverty compared with 11.1% of homeowners, according to the California Budget and Policy Center.
• The rate has risen sharply from about 11% in 2021 after pandemic-era benefit expansions ended, reversing earlier gains.
• Separate PPIC and Stanford research estimates 16.9% in poverty and another 17.9% near-poor in 2023, translating to about 13.2 million struggling residents.
• State leaders passed 2025 measures targeting housing, energy and fuel costs, though analysts say any impact on living costs will take months or years to assess.