The amount of money people are earning is increasing quickly in the United States. In 2022, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that the average income for a typical household in the country was almost $75,000. This is an increase from around $69,700 in 2021. The increase of 7.2% was the biggest compared to any other year since at least the mid-1990s.
The average American household is earning more money than in the past, but these increases in income have not kept up with inflation. In 2022, the average rate of inflation reached a 40-year high of 8%, which is four times higher than the Federal Reserve’s target rate of 2%. Considering the increase in the cost of living, the amount of money people actually have to spend in the U.S. decreased by almost 5% from 2019 to 2022.
Although rising prices have affected everyone, Americans with lower incomes have been the most affected. When prices are going up, wealthy Americans can spend less money and lessen the effect of the increasing costs. On the other hand, Americans with lower incomes, who have to spend a bigger portion of their money on essential things like food, housing, and gas, are unable to do so.
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California has one of the highest-earning populations among all states, with a median household income of $91,905. However, in many areas of the state, the average household income is much lower than the overall median income for the entire state.
Based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey, 24/7 Wall St. has identified the 35 counties in California with the lowest income levels. Counties in the state are ordered based on the average income of households. The population, poverty, and unemployment data are estimates for a five-year period from the 2022 ACS.
On this list, the median household incomes in these counties are lower than the statewide median by anywhere from about $8,500 to nearly $45,000. Many of these counties have a lot of poverty, which highlights the financial difficulties people face. In all but seven counties on this list, more than 12.1% of residents live below the poverty line, which is the average poverty rate for the entire state.
The poorest counties in California
Trinity County
- Median household income: $47,317
- Poverty rate: 22.0%
- 5-yr. avg. unemployment rate: 7.3%
- Population: 15,889
Imperial County
- Median household income: $53,847
- Poverty rate: 21.1%
- 5-yr. avg. unemployment rate: 13.1%
- Population: 179,578
Modoc County
- Median household income: $54,962
- Poverty rate: 16.9%
- 5-yr. avg. unemployment rate: 7.6%
- Population: 8,651
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Lake County
- Median household income: $56,259
- Poverty rate: 16.6%
- 5-yr. avg. unemployment rate: 10.4%
- Population: 68,024
Humboldt County
- Median household income: $57,881
- Poverty rate: 19.8%
- 5-yr. avg. unemployment rate: 9.2%
- Population: 136,132
Lassen County
- Median household income: $59,515
- Poverty rate: 15.2%
- 5-yr. avg. unemployment rate: 7.9%
- Population: 31,873
Mariposa County
- Median household income: $60,021
- Poverty rate: 16.0%
- 5-yr. avg. unemployment rate: 6.2%
- Population: 17,130
Del Norte County
- Median household income: $61,149
- Poverty rate: 14.3%
- 5-yr. avg. unemployment rate: 6.3%
- Population: 27,462
Mendocino County
- Median household income: $61,335
- Poverty rate: 16.2%
- 5-yr. avg. unemployment rate: 9.1%
- Population: 91,145
Kern County
- Median household income: $63,883
- Poverty rate: 19.3%
- 5-yr. avg. unemployment rate: 8.3%
- Population: 906,883
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