The California Poverty Measure A Center for Poverty Research Infographic
This infographic shows the difference in California poverty rates
when calculated with the Official Poverty Measure (OPM) and the
California Poverty Measure (CPM). Developed by the Public Policy Institute of
California and the Stanford Center on Poverty
and lnequality, the CPM includes differences in non-cash
assistance and cost-of-living in order to provide a more holistic
picture of poverty in the state.
The official poverty rate is 11.6 percent, based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s estimates for 2021. That year, an estimated 37.9 million Americans lived in poverty according to the official measure. Neither the rate nor the number differed significantly from 2020. According to the supplemental poverty measure, the poverty rate was 7.8 percent.
