PolicyLink and PERE
39
An Equity Profile of Orange County
0.40
0.43
0.46
0.48
0.36
0.39
0.45
0.47
0.35
0.40
0.45
0.50
1979 1989 1999 2016
Level
of
Inequality
Gini Coefficent measures income equality on a 0 to 1 scale.
0 (Perfectly equal) ------> 1 (Perfectly unequal)
Increasing income inequality
Although income inequality is slightly lower
than the nation overall, it has increased
dramatically in Orange County over the past
30 years, with the sharpest increase occurring
in the 1990s.
Inequality here is measured by the Gini
coefficient, which is the most commonly used
measure of inequality. The Gini coefficient
measures the extent to which the income
distribution deviates from perfect equality,
meaning that every household has the same
income. The value of the Gini coefficient
ranges from zero (perfect equality) to one
(complete inequality, one household has all of
the income).
In Orange County, the Gini coefficient was
0.36 in 1979 and rose to 0.47 by 2016.
Income inequality has increased dramatically since 1979
Economic vitality
26. Gini Coefficient, 1979 to 2016
Source: Integrated Public Use Microdata Series. Universe includes all households (no group quarters).
Note: Data for 2016 represent a 2012 through 2016 average.
