- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Latest Census data shows drop in median income, rise in poverty across county
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – New numbers from the US Census Bureau show that many Lake County residents continue to struggle with poverty and low median incomes.
The 2012 American Community Survey provides statistics that measure the social, economic and housing conditions of US communities.
The latest Census statistics show that Lake County's population has dropped slightly over the past several years.
The county's 2012 population estimate is 63,983, compared to 64,323 in 2011 and 64,771 in 2010.
Between 2011 and 2012, the county's median income dropped from $35,991 to $33,219. In 2011, 13 percent of households had income below $15,000 a year, while there were 26 percent of households with income below $15,000 a year last year. In both 2011 and 2012, 3 percent of county residents had income more than $150,000.
Last year, 46 percent of the county's population 16 and over were employed with 44 percent not in the labor force, compared to 48 percent employed and 42 percent not in the workforce in 2011.
Lake County showed a slight uptick in the number of people in poverty in 2012 – 27 percent, up from 25 percent in 2011.
Also in 2012, 31 percent of related children under 18 were below the poverty level, down from 40 percent in 2011. Fourteen percent of people 65 years old and over were defined as being in poverty in 2012, compared with 11 percent of people 65 years old and over the previous year.
The US Census Bureau said the latest data showed that the number and percentage of people in poverty did not have a statistically significant change in 43 states and the District of Columbia between 2011 and 2012, while in three states – California, Mississippi and New Hampshire – the number and percentage of people in poverty increased.
Regarding health insurance, in 2012 there was a ratio of 79 percent covered and 21 percent not covered among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Lake County. In 2011, 81 percent were covered, 19 percent were not. For both years, 14 percent of children 18 and under had no health insurance.
The percentage of people without health insurance fell in most states in 2012 from 2010 levels, after rising between 2008 to 2010, the US Census Bureau reported.
The county's housing inventory showed a higher vacancy rate in 2012 than in 2011, based on the report.
In 2011, 18 percent of the county's 35,000 housing units were vacant, climbing to a 26-percent vacancy rate in 2012.
For local homeowners, there was a potential bright spot. Median monthly housing costs in 2012 were $1,324 for mortgaged owners, $371 for nonmortgaged owners $371 and $799 for renters, down from housing costs for mortgaged owners of $1,515, nonmortgaged owners of $411 and $945 for renters in 2011.
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