New Census data shows Valley poverty. See county maps of worst-hit areas near Fresno
Out of almost 2 million people in the central San Joaquin Valley, more than 400,000 languish in poverty. That’s just over 20%, compared to the state average of just 12.6% for 2016 through 2020.
But in some pockets of Fresno, Kings, Madera, Merced and Tulare counties, the percentage of residents whose incomes fell below the poverty level was much higher – twice as high in some neighborhoods and, in a few places, three times higher.
About one out of every five Fresno County residents lived in poverty from 2016 through 2020.
The figures represent the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau, which released its five-year estimates for the 2016-2020 span on March 17.
These interactive maps of census tracts for each Valley county can be explored to see the estimated population, the Census estimates of the number of residents in poverty, the percentage of residents in poverty, and the number of children and senior citizens living in poverty in each tract.
Throughout the five-county region, the Census Bureau estimated that of more than 1,982,000 people for whom poverty status could be determined, about 402,000 were below poverty level, or 20.3%.
California’s statewide poverty rate for 2016-2020 amounted to about 12.6%.
County by county, the number of people in poverty, and their percentage relative to all residents, were:
Fresno County: 202,296 residents in poverty, or 20.8% of the county’s population.
Kings County: 21,908 residents in poverty, or 16.0% of the population.
Madera County: 28,062 residents in poverty, or 19.0% of the population.
Merced County: 50,124 residents in poverty, or 18.8% of the population.
Tulare County: 99,610 residents in poverty, or 21.8% of the population.
At the much more granular census tract level, percentages ranged from a low of almost zero in one area of Kingsburg, in the southern part of Fresno County, to a high of almost 74% at and near the university campus of Fresno State in northeast Fresno.
You can find your specific Census tract number using the Census Bureau’s online geocoder search tool. Fill in the address fields, use the “benchmark” dropdown to select “Public_AR_2020,” and in the “vintage” menu select “Current_Current,” and then click the “get results” button.
On the resulting page, scroll down the bottom of the page to find the Census Tract name.
Poverty thresholds used by the Census Bureau set the poverty level for 2020 at $13,171 for a single person, $16,733 for a couple, $20,591 for a family or household of three, and $26,496 for a family of four. The threshold goes up as family size increases, to $53,905 for a family or household of nine or more people.
The 2016-2020 estimates produced by the Census Bureau are based on information collected each year by the agency’s American Community Survey, a sampling that is smaller than the broader census conducted every 10 years.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic created a much lower response rate from households, which forced the bureau to adjust the way it compiled the five-year estimates compared to previous five-year samples.
This story was originally published March 27, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
