The 10 Poorest Cities In California For 2024


The poorest places in California are Orange Cove and Firebaugh for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Like all states, California has certain places that are going on hard times. These California places have an above-average percentage of people living in poverty, out of work, or not making as much as they should be.

Even as the economy continues to improve, it’s worthwhile to look at the places in each state struggling to make ends meet. So we set our sites on locating the poorest places in California.

To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the newest Census data from the American Community Survey for the 428 cities in California with more than 5,000 people.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The 10 Poorest Places In California For 2024:

  1. Orange Cove
  2. Firebaugh
  3. Arcata
  4. Mendota
  5. Huron
  6. Lindsay
  7. Calipatria
  8. McFarland
  9. Clearlake
  10. Arvin

Poorest Places In California Map

What’s the poorest city in California? According to the facts, Orange Cove is the poorest place in California for 2024.

This isn’t a commentary on the people that live there or the vibrant culture and traditions of these places. Instead, it’s just a look at the facts.

For more California reading, check out:

The 10 Poorest Cities In California For 2024

1. Orange Cove

Orange Cove, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Bobak Ha’Eri | CC BY 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 9,635
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $33,671 (lowest)
Poverty Rate: 46.5% (highest)
People In Poverty: 4,478
More on Orange Cove: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Orange Cove, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in California thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.

The city of 9,635 people averages the lowest median household income in California and the highest poverty rate. At the very least, the cost of living ranks in the bottom 15% of place in the state, so things like housing are relatively affordable.

2. Firebaugh

Firebaugh, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 8,139
Rank Last Year: 3 (Up 1)
Median Income: $36,078 (2nd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 43.3% (2nd highest)
People In Poverty: 3,520
More on Firebaugh: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

The second poorest city in California is Firebaugh.

The city ranks as having the 2nd highest incidence of poverty and 2nd lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the highest in the Golden State.

3. Arcata

Arcata, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Tony | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 18,536
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 2)
Median Income: $43,444 (8th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 34.5% (3rd highest)
People In Poverty: 6,391
More on Arcata: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Placing as the third poorest city, Arcata’s median income ranks as the 8th lowest.

And that’s a sign that there’s a relatively substantial jump in the quality of the economy from second to third place on our list. The poverty rate is 34.48% and ranks near the bottom of places in the state.

But what makes up for the relatively low incomes of the city is its low cost of living. The income you do make here goes further than in most parts of the Golden State.

4. Mendota

Mendota, CA

Source: Wikipedia User David Jordan at English Wikipedia | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 12,603
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Median Income: $43,315 (7th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 32.7% (5th highest)
People In Poverty: 4,122
More on Mendota: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Mendota ranks as the fourth poorest place in California.

The town ranks as having the 7th lowest median household income and the 5th highest incidence of poverty in the state.

That being said, there’s still a ton of cultural diversity in the city as it hosts many events throughout the year.

5. Huron

Huron, CA

Source: Wikipedia User David Jordan at English Wikipedia | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 6,260
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 3)
Median Income: $43,664 (9th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 32.1% (6th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,006
More on Huron: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

The fifth poorest city in California is Huron.

The city ranks as having the 9th lowest median income in the state. However, an extremely low cost of living prevents a good number of folks from living in poverty as the poverty rate only ranks as the 6th highest in California.

Still not the best news for Huron.

6. Lindsay

Lindsay, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Tatyler | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 12,581
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 2)
Median Income: $44,816 (11th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 33.9% (4th highest)
People In Poverty: 4,258
More on Lindsay: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Lindsay ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Golden State.

It ranks as having the 4th highest incidence of poverty and the 4th highest unemployment rate.

7. Calipatria

Calipatria, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 6,579
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 3)
Median Income: $43,095 (6th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 28.6% (9th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,881
More on Calipatria: Data | Cost Of Living

Calipatria places as the seventh poorest city in California.

The city of over 6,579 ranks as having the 9th highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.

8. McFarland

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 13,971
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 2)
Median Income: $42,641 (5th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 26.8% (15th highest)
People In Poverty: 3,744
More on Mcfarland: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

McFarland ranks as the eighth poorest city in California.

The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as one of the highest in the state.

9. Clearlake

Clearlake, CA

Source: Flickr User twofordssearchin | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 16,612
Rank Last Year: 12 (Up 3)
Median Income: $41,047 (4th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 24.7% (20th highest)
People In Poverty: 4,096
More on Clearlake: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Clearlake couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in California; it ranks number 9.

While the median income is the 4th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Clearlake ranks as having the 20th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in California.

10. Arvin

Arvin, CA

Source: Flickr User Cesar_San1 | CC BY-ND 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 19,613
Rank Last Year: 14 (Up 4)
Median Income: $47,997 (19th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 28.7% (8th highest)
People In Poverty: 5,632
More on Arvin: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in California is Arvin.

The city of 19,613 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Golden State.

Methodology: How We Determined The Poorest Places In California for 2024

The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the poorest places is to simply the poverty rate. That is, the number of people living below a federally established level of income for a household of a certain size.

However, we don’t think that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “poorest places”. So we used Saturday Night Science to look at this set of criteria from the newly released 2018-2022 American Community Survey:

  • Poverty Level
  • Median Household Income

After we collected the data for all 428 places with more than 5,000 people in California, we ranked each place from 1 to 428 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the poorest.

We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Poor Score” with the place having the lowest overall Poor Score, Orange Cove, crowned the “Poorest Place In California For 2024”.

This report has been updated for 2024, which is our tenth time ranking the poorest places in California.

Summary: The Poorest Cities In California For 2024

Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the poorest places in California, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in California.

When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very bottom of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.

If you’re curious enough, here are the richest cities in California, according to data:

    Richest: Los Altos Hills
    2nd Richest: Orinda
    3rd Richest: Los Altos

For more California reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Poorest Places To Live In California

Rank City Population Poverty Rate Median Income People In Poverty
1 Orange Cove 9,635 46.5% $33,671 4,478
2 Firebaugh 8,139 43.3% $36,078 3,520
3 Arcata 18,536 34.5% $43,444 6,391
4 Mendota 12,603 32.7% $43,315 4,122
5 Huron 6,260 32.1% $43,664 2,006
6 Lindsay 12,581 33.9% $44,816 4,258
7 Calipatria 6,579 28.6% $43,095 1,881
8 McFarland 13,971 26.8% $42,641 3,744
9 Clearlake 16,612 24.7% $41,047 4,096
10 Arvin 19,613 28.7% $47,997 5,632
11 Woodlake 7,495 24.6% $44,719 1,840
12 Crescent City 6,379 22.7% $39,812 1,448
13 Holtville 5,620 23.7% $44,939 1,333
14 Cudahy 22,657 26.7% $49,596 6,047
15 Parlier 14,625 27.4% $50,026 4,004
16 Oroville 20,283 23.3% $46,362 4,719
17 Corcoran 22,808 27.6% $53,103 6,299
18 Fort Bragg 7,007 22.6% $47,662 1,582
19 Marysville 12,681 24.2% $52,012 3,073
20 Dinuba 24,713 27.8% $54,590 6,872
21 Farmersville 10,393 24.6% $52,714 2,552
22 Desert Hot Springs 32,386 21.0% $45,863 6,794
23 Yreka 7,833 21.0% $46,387 1,648
24 Calexico 38,599 22.6% $51,667 8,738
25 Blythe 17,949 22.8% $52,377 4,095
26 Red Bluff 14,576 20.9% $47,367 3,046
27 Bell Gardens 39,263 23.6% $53,935 9,281
28 Barstow 25,235 22.5% $52,200 5,685
29 Wasco 26,317 20.5% $48,109 5,402
30 Anderson 11,267 19.1% $45,896 2,156
31 Taft 7,414 21.8% $52,414 1,614
32 Avenal 13,423 20.2% $51,902 2,710
33 Madera 66,784 27.7% $61,626 18,499
34 Brawley 26,509 23.6% $56,229 6,253
35 Merced 87,686 25.2% $59,233 22,088
36 Kerman 15,980 21.9% $53,956 3,499
37 Selma 24,576 21.2% $53,874 5,212
38 California City 15,002 23.2% $55,410 3,486
39 Bell 33,377 23.4% $56,685 7,796
40 Grass Valley 13,964 18.2% $49,855 2,540
41 Eureka 26,519 19.3% $51,971 5,110
42 San Luis Obispo 47,529 31.5% $65,000 14,957
43 Willows 6,201 25.2% $61,806 1,565
44 Delano 50,498 19.6% $53,639 9,897
45 El Centro 44,184 21.1% $54,922 9,340
46 Yucca Valley 21,700 20.2% $54,153 4,376
47 Guadalupe 8,272 27.6% $66,026 2,283
48 Hemet 89,651 17.4% $49,901 15,563
49 Fowler 6,819 21.0% $56,410 1,432
50 Banning 29,929 18.9% $54,083 5,653
51 Maywood 25,009 20.3% $57,615 5,081
52 Twentynine Palms 28,006 17.2% $51,392 4,808
53 Shasta Lake 10,361 18.1% $54,490 1,879
54 Huntington Park 54,547 17.9% $54,073 9,758
55 Susanville 15,737 17.5% $52,997 2,750
56 Fresno 541,528 22.1% $63,001 119,623
57 San Bernardino 221,041 20.2% $61,323 44,606
58 Shafter 20,162 22.7% $66,418 4,572
59 Chico 102,790 22.2% $65,932 22,860
60 Porterville 62,491 17.7% $55,785 11,067
61 Exeter 10,327 19.3% $65,750 1,990
62 El Cajon 105,721 18.9% $64,128 19,938
63 Adelanto 37,960 17.9% $62,582 6,794
64 Victorville 134,417 19.1% $65,746 25,740
65 Paradise 6,666 16.5% $54,842 1,097
66 South El Monte 19,694 21.2% $67,724 4,167
67 El Monte 108,682 16.9% $59,929 18,388
68 Atwater 31,841 17.5% $64,195 5,568
69 Cathedral City 51,964 17.3% $63,209 8,989
70 Waterford 9,165 17.4% $64,349 1,591
71 Colusa 6,380 16.2% $59,400 1,034
72 Apple Valley 75,603 17.0% $62,898 12,867
73 Tulare 69,261 17.4% $65,933 12,086
74 Ukiah 16,496 16.7% $62,934 2,761
75 Corning 8,196 14.8% $54,766 1,212
76 Reedley 25,248 16.0% $61,629 4,047
77 King City 13,471 19.2% $70,145 2,587
78 Hesperia 99,878 18.1% $67,698 18,047
79 Coalinga 17,488 18.7% $68,976 3,272
80 Lompoc 44,086 17.2% $66,947 7,604
81 Fortuna 12,527 14.6% $58,633 1,827
82 Compton 94,822 17.7% $69,728 16,764
83 Orland 8,221 14.9% $61,587 1,226
84 Chowchilla 18,772 16.7% $67,212 3,134
85 Live Oak 9,222 16.4% $66,750 1,508
86 Lancaster 171,465 17.6% $71,367 30,246
87 National City 56,345 14.1% $59,850 7,933
88 Lynwood 66,346 16.1% $67,350 10,688
89 Colton 53,959 15.4% $66,725 8,325
90 Santa Paula 30,788 17.3% $72,014 5,314
91 Placerville 10,744 16.0% $68,640 1,721
92 Davis 67,203 26.4% $83,592 17,707
93 Inglewood 106,806 15.4% $67,563 16,448
94 Sanger 26,553 15.9% $69,333 4,211
95 Livingston 14,344 16.6% $70,918 2,381
96 Dos Palos 5,755 11.4% $51,230 658
97 San Jacinto 54,077 17.1% $73,682 9,230
98 Ceres 49,183 15.3% $70,191 7,529
99 Highland 56,789 15.9% $72,222 9,052
100 Stockton 320,030 15.6% $71,612 49,988
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

One thought on “The 10 Poorest Cities In California For 2024

  1. Blythe is more poor than Coachella they don’t even have a place to shop for clothes. All they have is a Albertsons and RiteAid. Coachella is next to multiple other towns not even far they don’t even have to go on a Freeway just down some roads.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *