A Safety Net Will Not Close California’s Income Gap – Capital & Main
“Leaders need to create ways for workers to get the skills needed for higher-paying jobs.”
“Using the latest data available, PPIC researchers found that families at the 10th percentile earn roughly $29,000 in 2022 dollars. That is far below the more than $100,000 that a California family with one working adult and two children needs to earn to meet basic living expenses, according to MIT’s Living Wage Calculator. California families in the 90th percentile earn roughly $305,000.
“That income gulf has been at least 40 years in the making. In 1980, those at the top made seven times more than those at the lower reaches, climbing to today’s 10-to-1 multiple for the highest to lowest incomes.
“California’s income inequality is among the worst in the nation. The PPIC found only six states, plus the District of Columbia, had wider income gaps. A 2022 study of U.S. Census Bureau data placed California among the five states with the greatest income inequality.”
Income inequality across the states – SSTI