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PantryPath Research · Child Poverty Atlas

Child Poverty in
California

California's child poverty rate is 15.0% across 58 counties, meaning 1.2M children under 18 live in households below the federal poverty line. Use the interactive map below to see how poverty varies within the state.

15.0%

Child poverty rate (0–17)

1.2M

Children in poverty

12.0%

All-ages poverty

$95,473

Median income

California by county

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Toggle between five SAIPE metrics to see how poverty varies within California. Hover a county for its exact rate.

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Lower
Higher

California at a glance

Children in poverty

1.2M

Ages 0–17

Child poverty rate

15.0%

Ages 0–17

5–17 poverty rate

14.6%

Title I allocator

All-ages poverty

12.0%

Entire population

Concentration

1.25×

Child ÷ all-ages

Median income

$95,473

Inflation-adjusted

County-level hotspots

Five-county rankings across 58 counties in California.

Highest child poverty

Ages 0–17, rate

  1. 1 Trinity County 29.5%
  2. 2 Modoc County 28.2%
  3. 3 Alpine County 26.8%
  4. 4 Kern County 24.8%
  5. 5 Madera County 24.2%

Lowest child poverty

Ages 0–17, rate

  1. 1 Placer County 6.1%
  2. 2 San Mateo County 7.1%
  3. 3 Santa Clara County 7.4%
  4. 4 El Dorado County 7.8%
  5. 5 Marin County 8.1%

Most children in poverty

Absolute count, ages 0–17

  1. 1 Los Angeles County 337K
  2. 2 San Bernardino County 95K
  3. 3 Riverside County 82K
  4. 4 San Diego County 77K
  5. 5 Orange County 70K

Every county in California

All 58 counties across the five SAIPE metrics plus median income.

County Children 0–17 Ages 5–17 All ages Concentration Child count Median income
Alameda County 9.0% 9.2% 9.5% 0.95× 28,117 $119,230
Alpine County 26.8% 22.4% 15.6% 1.72× 49 $83,265
Amador County 13.9% 13.5% 11.7% 1.19× 886 $80,767
Butte County 20.8% 18.4% 19.9% 1.05× 8,618 $63,084
Calaveras County 15.5% 15.2% 12.2% 1.27× 1,228 $77,041
Colusa County 14.2% 13.6% 12.3% 1.15× 833 $66,675
Contra Costa County 10.1% 9.2% 8.3% 1.22× 25,049 $122,000
Del Norte County 21.0% 19.6% 13.8% 1.52× 1,138 $70,231
El Dorado County 7.8% 7.3% 7.0% 1.11× 2,864 $107,063
Fresno County 23.3% 23.0% 17.7% 1.32× 64,163 $71,271
Glenn County 15.1% 16.9% 13.5% 1.12× 1,116 $64,197
Humboldt County 18.5% 17.8% 16.7% 1.11× 4,502 $61,307
Imperial County 22.1% 20.7% 17.3% 1.28× 10,997 $58,768
Inyo County 14.2% 13.2% 11.8% 1.20× 515 $71,656
Kern County 24.8% 23.6% 19.0% 1.31× 63,566 $68,436
Kings County 20.3% 20.2% 17.5% 1.16× 8,148 $65,768
Lake County 21.6% 21.6% 17.6% 1.23× 3,148 $57,945
Lassen County 17.2% 16.6% 17.1% 1.01× 914 $77,743
Los Angeles County 17.6% 17.5% 13.7% 1.28× 337,451 $86,499
Madera County 24.2% 23.6% 18.0% 1.34× 10,423 $66,084
Marin County 8.1% 7.8% 8.7% 0.93× 3,840 $139,197
Mariposa County 21.9% 22.2% 17.3% 1.27× 654 $64,352
Mendocino County 18.8% 18.7% 13.9% 1.35× 3,420 $65,891
Merced County 22.7% 22.8% 18.6% 1.22× 18,537 $58,962
Modoc County 28.2% 26.7% 20.1% 1.40× 440 $51,996
Mono County 10.7% 10.5% 7.8% 1.37× 240 $82,973
Monterey County 20.4% 19.6% 14.0% 1.46× 21,963 $86,809
Napa County 9.3% 8.2% 8.9% 1.04× 2,325 $100,469
Nevada County 12.8% 12.5% 10.9% 1.17× 2,154 $87,142
Orange County 11.0% 10.7% 9.2% 1.20× 69,728 $109,768
Placer County 6.1% 5.4% 6.5% 0.94× 5,464 $110,020
Plumas County 18.2% 17.0% 12.7% 1.43× 575 $64,121
Riverside County 14.1% 13.1% 11.3% 1.25× 82,278 $90,251
Sacramento County 13.7% 13.8% 11.9% 1.15× 48,449 $89,984
San Benito County 10.8% 10.4% 9.1% 1.19× 1,816 $105,112
San Bernardino County 17.4% 17.7% 13.2% 1.32× 94,927 $84,576
San Diego County 11.6% 11.4% 10.1% 1.15× 77,080 $103,476
San Francisco County 10.8% 10.9% 11.9% 0.91× 11,654 $125,456
San Joaquin County 16.2% 15.5% 12.6% 1.29× 33,153 $86,211
San Luis Obispo County 11.8% 11.2% 12.8% 0.92× 5,643 $89,809
San Mateo County 7.1% 7.2% 7.3% 0.97× 9,726 $151,004
Santa Barbara County 17.0% 17.7% 14.9% 1.14× 16,281 $90,155
Santa Clara County 7.4% 7.0% 7.6% 0.97× 27,203 $154,573
Santa Cruz County 14.0% 14.3% 12.6% 1.11× 6,466 $102,723
Shasta County 16.0% 14.5% 13.2% 1.21× 6,049 $71,935
Sierra County 14.8% 13.9% 12.6% 1.17× 77 $67,675
Siskiyou County 21.6% 20.0% 17.1% 1.26× 1,796 $58,975
Solano County 11.8% 10.8% 10.3% 1.15× 11,313 $99,117
Sonoma County 9.5% 8.6% 9.1% 1.04× 8,454 $100,157
Stanislaus County 15.9% 14.7% 12.6% 1.26× 22,898 $81,582
Sutter County 19.2% 17.6% 15.3% 1.25× 4,589 $71,968
Tehama County 20.7% 18.4% 15.0% 1.38× 3,166 $58,333
Trinity County 29.5% 25.7% 20.8% 1.42× 787 $52,079
Tulare County 23.2% 22.3% 17.5% 1.33× 32,284 $71,368
Tuolumne County 13.6% 13.4% 10.5% 1.30× 1,245 $72,329
Ventura County 12.8% 12.3% 9.8% 1.31× 22,395 $106,526
Yolo County 11.6% 10.4% 15.3% 0.76× 4,936 $91,192
Yuba County 20.0% 20.5% 15.4% 1.30× 4,572 $71,493

Help for families in California

Free meals, WIC, SNAP, and nutrition help for children in low-income households.

Families & children guide

California SNAP benefits

State-by-state SNAP eligibility, apply online, benefit amounts, and coverage gaps.

California SNAP guide

Find a food pantry

Search California's verified pantries — by ZIP, city, or county.

California food pantries