2002 Reports

The Changing Face of Child Poverty in California

Palmer, Julian; Song, Younghwan; Lu, Hsien-Hen

Despite the national decline in child poverty and low-income rates in the United States since the early 1990s, the rates in California have surpassed those of the nation. This demographic profile of California's low-income families highlights the high number and rate of low-income children in California. It also features several facts that challenge stereotypes about these families. For example, a large and growing majority of poor children live in working families, and as many of California's poor children live in two-parent as in single-parent families. This report illustrates the rapidly changing demographic picture of California's poor and low-income families. Almost half of all California's children are immigrants, and the large majority of these immigrants are Hispanic. The high poverty rates among these children require urgent attention in order to promote the healthy growth and development of this large and expanding part of California's next generation.