Poverty In California 2025. For 2025, the poverty level is set as follows: California’s poverty rate increased to 18.9% in 2023, up from 16.4% in 2022 and 11.0% in 2021, according to new census data.

California’s poverty rate increased to 18.9% in 2023, up from 16.4% in 2022 and 11.0% in 2021, according to new census data. California’s poverty rate is dramatically higher when accounting for the high cost of living in many parts of the state, with immigrants, latinx, black, and american indian californians especially likely to be living in poverty.