2019 State Report for County-Level Data: Poverty

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to the following individuals who have contributed to the success of this effort: Deb Brucker, Erin Dame, Ferris Al Kurabi, Kate Filanoski, Kim Phillips, Karen Volle, Romy Eberle and Toni Sumner-Beebe.

Funding for this publication is made possible by:

The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics (StatsRRTC), funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), grant number 90RTGE0001; and the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employment Policy and Measurement (EPM-RRTC), also funded by NIDILRR, grant number 90RT5037. The information developed by the StatsRRTC and EPM-RRTC does not necessarily represent the policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government (Edgar, 75.620 (b)).

The StatsRRTC and EPM-RRTC are part of the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire. The Institute on Disability/UCED (IOD) was established in 1987 to provide a university-based focus for the improvement of knowledge, policies, and practices related to the lives of people with disabilities and their families and is New Hampshire’s University Center for Excellence in Disability (UCED). Located within the University of New Hampshire, the IOD is a federally designated center authorized by the Developmental Disabilities Act. Through innovative and interdisciplinary research, academic, service, and dissemination initiatives, the IOD builds local, state, and national capacities to respond to the needs of individuals with disabilities and their families.

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2019 California Report for County-Level Data: Poverty

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on

Disability Statistics and Demographics

A NIDILRR-Funded Center

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Introduction

The State Reports for County-Level Data on Poverty are designed to provide the users of disability statistics with the number and percentage in poverty for civilians with disabilities, ages 18 to 64 years and living in the community, for any given state and county in the United States (U.S.). This report is intended to be an online complement to Section 3: Poverty of the Annual Disability Statistics Compendium and Annual Disability Statistics Supplement, providing greater detail within each state. The State Reports for County-Level Data on Poverty can be used to compare county-level statistics between counties in any given state or states. The following report provides county-level statistics for California.

The proportion of the civilian non-institutionalized population with disabilities in poverty, also called the poverty rate, presented in the State Reports for County-Level Data is a useful tool for advocates, researchers, and policy-makers to plan and provide services and supports for people with disabilities experiencing poverty. In this report, poverty of people with disabilities is presented as the number of civilians with disabilities, ages 18 to 64 years and living in the community, in a given state and county per total state and county populations, respectively. Counts and percentages (the poverty rate) are provided in tables and maps.

The data for this report come from the American Community Survey 5-year data. The American Community Survey (ACS) is a national survey developed by the U.S. Census Bureau to provide information on a number of topics about social, economic, and demographic characteristics of the U.S. population. ACS 5-year data is collected over a longer period of time than 1-year data, providing larger sample sizes and increased reliability for less populated areas and small population subgroups. All of the statistics in this report use the ACS 5-year data which includes data from the year of this report and data from the four previous years. In the ACS, people are identified as having a disability based on responses to a series of six questions asking about having difficulties with vision, hearing, ambulation, cognition, self-care, and independent living (see glossary for further details). 

Poverty is defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and set as a dollar threshold by the U.S. Census Bureau (see the glossary for further details).

 

Specific to California, the state chosen for this report, sentences providing interpretation and context for poverty statistics are included on the following page. A short glossary of terms is also provided at the end of the report explaining the statistics that are illustrated in each sentence.

Additional Resources. The Annual Disability Statistics Compendium and its complement, the Annual Disability Statistics Supplement, are summaries of statistics about people with disabilities, available both in hard copy and online at https://www.disabilitycompendium.org

Help navigating any of the resources described here can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions section at https://www.disabilitycompendium.org/faq. Assistance interpreting and locating additional statistics is available via our toll-free number, 866-538-9521, or by email, disability.statistics@unh.edu. For more information about our research projects, please visit https://www.researchondisability.org.

Suggested Citation. Paul, S., Rafal, M., & Houtenville, A. (2020). 2019 State Report for California County-Level Data: Poverty. Durham, NH: University of New Hampshire, Institute on Disability.

Interpretation

The following statements are designed to help understand the 2019 county-level poverty statistics from California that are presented:

 

  • For people with disabilities: 

    • The poverty rate for people with disabilities in California was 23.9%.
    • The range, also known as the difference between largest and smallest values, of poverty rates for people with disabilities across California counties was 26.8%.
      • The county with the greatest poverty rate for people with disabilities was Tehama (39.7%).
      • The county with the smallest poverty rate for people with disabilities was Sierra (12.9%).
    • The median, also known as the middle-most, poverty rate for people with disabilities across all counties in California was 25.0%.

 

  • For people without disabilities: 
    • The poverty rate for people without disabilities in California was 11.3%.
    • The range, also known as the difference between largest and smallest values, of poverty rates for people without disabilities across California counties was 18.3%.
      • The county with the greatest poverty rate for people without disabilities was Alpine (24.2%).
      • The county with the smallest poverty rate for people without disabilities was San Mateo (5.9%).
    • The median, also known as the middle-most, poverty rate for people without disabilities across all counties in California was 12.5%.
Civilians with and without Disabilities in Poverty Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community for California, by County: 2019
County Disability No Disability   County Disability No Disability
Total Count % [1] Total Count % [2] Total Count % [1] Total Count % [2]
  California    1,935,790 463,047 23.9 22,246,003 2,522,995 11.3      Mono             419      78 18.6      9,041       988 10.9
    Alameda        70,587  16,708 23.7    999,049    85,610  8.6    Monterey        16,134   3,211 19.9    229,121    24,752 10.8
    Alpine             81      31 38.3        446       108 24.2      Napa           7,287   1,378 18.9     75,060     4,920  6.6
    Amador          2,855     654 22.9     16,225     1,395  8.6     Nevada          6,133   1,579 25.7     49,244     5,340 10.8
     Butte         20,183   6,124 30.3    115,430    23,227 20.1     Orange        112,796  21,809 19.3  1,873,224   178,237  9.5
   Calaveras        4,504     743 16.5     20,436     2,273 11.1     Placer         16,163   2,474 15.3    206,893    14,698  7.1
    Colusa          1,416     308 21.8     11,013     1,069  9.7     Plumas          1,422     552 38.8      8,838     1,162 13.1
 Contra Costa      62,248  11,781 18.9    638,917    47,538  7.4    Riverside      130,789  26,382 20.2  1,297,076   153,327 11.8
   Del Norte        2,545     899 35.3     11,465     1,930 16.8   Sacramento       89,346  23,111 25.9    849,806   106,106 12.5
   El Dorado       11,424   2,130 18.6     99,607     7,759  7.8   San Benito        2,724     418 15.3     34,397     2,292  6.7
    Fresno         67,447  22,384 33.2    507,513    91,789 18.1 San Bernardino    117,406  27,603 23.5  1,169,530   151,374 12.9
     Glenn          2,014     486 24.1     13,772     2,068 15.0    San Diego      148,011  31,302 21.1  1,889,479   198,539 10.5
   Humboldt        11,965   4,062 33.9     71,740    15,019 20.9  San Francisco     38,892  11,540 29.7    574,057    47,930  8.3
   Imperial        11,305   3,870 34.2     85,180    16,334 19.2   San Joaquin      48,931  12,178 24.9    388,555    44,811 11.5
     Inyo             855     214 25.0      9,131       749  8.2 San Luis Obispo    13,503   3,223 23.9    149,066    21,365 14.3
     Kern          51,328  16,098 31.4    457,453    78,566 17.2    San Mateo       23,886   4,635 19.4    460,874    27,081  5.9
     Kings          8,576   2,184 25.5     69,708    10,516 15.1  Santa Barbara     19,587   4,970 25.4    241,945    32,464 13.4
     Lake           6,142   1,890 30.8     29,851     5,174 17.3   Santa Clara      64,894  12,171 18.8  1,157,229    77,338  6.7
    Lassen          1,952     648 33.2     10,364     1,159 11.2   Santa Cruz       16,845   4,035 24.0    150,740    19,845 13.2
  Los Angeles     464,446 116,025 25.0  5,967,603   737,758 12.4     Shasta         16,197   5,009 30.9     86,745    12,539 14.5
    Madera          9,303   2,328 25.0     74,187    12,427 16.8     Sierra            271      35 12.9      1,383       123  8.9
     Marin          8,903   1,852 20.8    137,700     9,183  6.7    Siskiyou         3,905   1,451 37.2     19,875     3,401 17.1
   Mariposa         1,623     569 35.1      8,032     1,068 13.3     Solano         25,473   4,587 18.0    239,174    19,060  8.0
   Mendocino        7,497   1,989 26.5     41,478     6,831 16.5     Sonoma         28,428   5,891 20.7    273,296    22,565  8.3
    Merced         17,568   4,787 27.2    138,680    24,541 17.7   Stanislaus       36,465   9,028 24.8    288,077    35,409 12.3
     Modoc            539     183 34.0      4,062       670 16.5     Sutter          6,349   1,540 24.3     49,244     6,510 13.2
Civilians with and without Disabilities in Poverty Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community for California, by County: 2019
County Disability No Disability   County Disability No Disability
Total Count % [1] Total Count % [2] Total Count % [1] Total Count % [2]
    Tehama          6,160   2,446 39.7     29,778     5,235 17.6                                                                 
    Trinity         1,163     345 29.7      5,788     1,170 20.2                                                                 
    Tulare         27,402   7,983 29.1    237,170    49,015 20.7                                                                 
   Tuolumne         4,852   1,196 24.6     23,339     2,732 11.7                                                                 
    Ventura        40,251   7,279 18.1    473,408    35,100  7.4                                                                 
     Yolo           9,959   2,716 27.3    128,003    27,898 21.8                                                                 
     Yuba           6,441   1,945 30.2     37,506     4,908 13.1                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
Count of Civilians in Poverty with Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community for California, by County: 2019

Poverty Rate for Civilians with Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community for California, by County: 2019

Discussion

There are a number of concepts and factors which complicate the interpretation of the estimates presented in this report. These concerns affect all statistics from population-based surveys. The estimates included in this document should be interpreted the following limitations in mind and generalized with caution. In each point, a link to the U.S. Census Bureau website describing the limitation or concept in greater detail in the ACS has been provided.

Additional links to resources for the ACS:

Glossary

American Community Survey (ACS) — The American Community Survey is a large, continuous demographic survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau that will provide accurate and up-to-date profiles of America’s communities every year. Annual and multiyear estimates of population and housing data are generated for small areas, including tracts and population subgroups. This information is collected by mailing questionnaires to a sample of addresses. See the U.S. Census Bureau website for additional details.

The Six Disability Questions in the American Community Survey:

  1. Is this person deaf or does he/she have serious difficulty hearing? (yes or no)
  2. Is this person blind or does he/she have serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses? (yes or no)
  3. (If person 5 years old or over) Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does this person have serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions? (yes or no)
  4. (If person 5 years or old over) Does this person have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs? (yes or no)
  5. (If person 5 years old or over) Does this person have difficulty dressing or bathing? (yes or no)
  6. (If person 15 years old or over) Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does this person have difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping? (yes or no)

Average — The sum of all of the values in a sample divided by the number of values in the sample.

Civilian — A person not in active-duty military.

Living in the Community – A person lives in the community, if the person is not living in an institution, such as jail, prison, nursing home, and hospital. A college dormitory is not considered an institution.

Median — The middle-most value of a sample that separates the upper half of the values from the lower half of the values. 

Non-Institutionalized Population — Describes individuals who are residing in the community and who are not living in institutions such as jails, prisons, nursing homes, hospitals, etc.

 

Population — The total number of inhabitants in a defined geographic area including all races, classes, and groups.

Poverty — The U.S. Office of Management and Budget in Statistical Policy, Directive 14 sets the standards for which poverty is calculated. The U.S. Census Bureau uses a set of dollar value thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who is in poverty. If a family’s total income is less than the dollar value of the appropriate threshold, then that family and every individual in it is considered to be in poverty.

Poverty Rate — Percent of the population who are determined to be in poverty.

Range — The difference between the largest and smallest values in a sample. In a sample, when the smallest value is subtracted from the largest value the resulting value is called the range. 

Sampling Variability — The variation of a statistic when estimated from repeated samples.

United States Census Bureau — An agency within the United States Federal Statistical System tasked with producing data about the American people and economy. Their primary task is to conduct the United States Census every ten years.

About the Center

Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics (StatsRRTC)

Led by the University of New Hampshire, the StatsRRTC is a collaborative effort involving the following partners: American Association of People with Disabilities, Center for Essential Management Services, Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation, Kessler Foundation, Mathematica Policy Research, and Public Health Institute.

The StatsRRTC is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research under grant number 90RTGE0001, from 2018–2023.

Employment Policy and Measurement Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (EPM-RRTC)

Led by the University of New Hampshire, the EPM-RRTC is a collaborative effort involving the following partners: Association of University Centers on Disability, Hunter College, Kessler Foundation, Mathematica Policy Research, and the University of Chicago.

The EPM-RRTC is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research under grant number 90RT503701, from 2015–2020.

Contact Information
University of New Hampshire, Institute on Disability
10 West Edge Drive, Suite 101
Durham, NH 03824
Toll-Free Telephone/TTY: 866-538-9521
E-mail: Disability.Statistics@unh.edu
https://www.researchondisability.org