Let's give a round of applause to the commie state of California!
The Census Bureau released new 2022 economic data, and California has outdone itself yet again. The data includes both official poverty rates for 2022 and what are called "supplemental" rates.
According to the report, poverty is at its highest in the Los Angeles area and lowest in the San Francisco area.
The official, non-supplemental poverty rate in the United States was 11.5% since 2021. However, there was a notable decrease in the poverty rate for black Americans, from 19.3% in 2021 to 17.0% in 2022.
CalMatters.org reported:
The "supplemental" rates are calculated on three years of data and California has held the top spot for a number of years, almost entirely because of its extraordinarily high costs of housing, utilities, fuel and other consumer needs.
Nationally, the new supplemental rate is 9.8% but once again California tops the states at 13.2 percent, more than a third higher than the national rate.
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The ultimate irony of California's high poverty rate is that it's a deep-blue state where all of the political power is held by left-leaning Democrats who profess to sympathize with the plight of the poor.
In 2018, City Journal reported:
Unfortunately, California, with 12 percent of the American population, is home today to roughly one in three of the nation's welfare recipients. The generous spending, then, has not only failed to decrease poverty; it actually seems to have made it worse.
Imagine that! The government making a problem even worse...
Governor Gavin Newsom and Democratic legislators have recognized California's sad status as the state with the highest poverty rate and have implemented various programs to help Californians climb the poverty ladder.
A significant focus has been on boosting the incomes of low-income individuals. This has involved tax credits, increasing welfare benefits, raising the minimum wage, and promoting union membership in lower-income sectors.
However, despite these efforts, the financial gains experienced by the poor often get quickly eaten up by the rising cost of living, particularly in housing.
Additionally, while California has tried to address the housing shortage by increasing housing supply, these efforts have had limited impact.
The state's other substantial living costs, especially utilities, are also stubbornly resistant to change. In fact, they'll most likely grow as California continues its transition to a net-zero emission economy.
Given these challenges, it's highly likely that California will continue to hold the unfortunate title of the nation's leader in poverty rates.
But hey, at least the weather is nice! 🌞
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