PolicyLink and PERE
44
An Equity Profile of Orange County
5.3%
5.4%
0%
1%
2%
3%
4%
5%
6%
1980 1990 2000 2016
12.4%
15.3%
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
18%
1980 1990 2000 2016
Rising poverty and the working poor
Poverty in Orange County has been
consistently lower than the national average,
despite a steady rise since 1980. Between
1990 and 2000, the national poverty rate
declined while it continued to rise in Orange
County. In 2016, one in every ten Orange
County residents (12.4 percent) lived below
the poverty line, which was about $24,300
per year for a family of four.
In Orange County, the share of workers that
are working poor (i.e. working full-time with
an income below 150 percent of the federal
poverty level) has also risen since 1980. It
was well below the national average in 1980,
rose just above it in 2000, and fell back
down, just below the national average by
2016. In 2016 the working poverty rate in
Orange County was 5.3 percent compared
with 5.4 percent nationally.
Lower than average poverty since 1980
Economic vitality
32. Poverty Rate, 1980 to 2016
Source: Integrated Public Use Microdata Series. Universe includes the civilian
noninstitutional population ages 25 through 64 who worked during the year
prior to the survey. Note: Data for 2016 represent a 2012 through 2016
average.
Source: Integrated Public Use Microdata Series. Universe includes all persons
not in group quarters. Note: Data for 2016 represent a 2012 through 2016
average.
A rise in working poverty since 1980
33. Working Poverty Rate, 1980 to 2016
