The 10 Poorest Cities In California For 2023


The poorest places in California are Orange Cove and Huron for 2023 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


Here are the ten poorest places in California for 2023:

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

What’s the poorest city in California? According to the facts, Orange Cove is the poorest place in California for 2023.

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:


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


The 10 Poorest Cities In California For 2023

1. Orange Cove

Orange Cove, CA

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

4
/10

Population: 9,680
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $28,626 (lowest)
Poverty Rate: 48.7% (highest)
People In Poverty: 4,716
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 9,680 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. Huron

Huron, CA

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

3
/10

Population: 6,277
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Income: $34,714 (4th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 40.3% (2nd highest)
People In Poverty: 2,531
More on Huron: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

The second poorest city in California is Huron.

The city ranks as having the 2nd highest incidence of poverty and 4th lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 3rd highest in the Golden State.

3. Firebaugh

Firebaugh, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 8,040
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 1)
Median Income: $36,667 (5th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 32.7% (5th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,632
More on Firebaugh: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Placing as the third poorest city, Firebaugh’s median income ranks as the 5th 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 32.7363184079602% 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: 12,534
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 1)
Median Income: $38,360 (8th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 37.5% (3rd highest)
People In Poverty: 4,694
More on Mendota: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Mendota ranks as the fourth poorest place in California.

The town ranks as having the 8th lowest median household income and the 3rd 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. Arcata

Arcata, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Tony | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 19,038
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 3)
Median Income: $39,069 (11th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 34.7% (4th highest)
People In Poverty: 6,601
More on Arcata: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

The fifth poorest city in California is Arcata.

The city ranks as having the 11th 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 4th highest in California.

Still not the best news for Arcata.

6. McFarland

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 14,085
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 4)
Median Income: $38,651 (9th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 29.3% (12th highest)
People In Poverty: 4,129
More on Mcfarland: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

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

It ranks as having the 12th highest incidence of poverty and the 97th highest unemployment rate.

7. Crescent City

Crescent City, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Robert Campbell | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 6,686
Rank Last Year: 13 (Up 6)
Median Income: $34,676 (3rd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 27.2% (20th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,821
More on Crescent City: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Crescent City places as the seventh poorest city in California.

The city of over 6,686 ranks as having the 20th 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. Lindsay

Lindsay, CA

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

4
/10

Population: 12,551
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 2)
Median Income: $39,375 (13th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 29.5% (11th highest)
People In Poverty: 3,697
More on Lindsay: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Lindsay ranks as the eighth poorest city in California.

The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as the 2nd highest in the state.

9. Woodlake

Woodlake, CA

Source: Flickr User puliarf | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 7,458
Rank Last Year: 20 (Up 11)
Median Income: $41,532 (18th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 31.1% (7th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,318
More on Woodlake: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

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

While the median income is the 18th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Woodlake ranks as having the 7th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in California.

10. Calipatria

Calipatria, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 7,247
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 5)
Median Income: $39,217 (12th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 29.2% (13th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,113
More on Calipatria: Data | Cost Of Living

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

The city of 7,247 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 2023

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 2017-2021 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 2023”.

This report has been updated for 2023, which is our tenth time ranking the poorest places in California.

Summary: The Poorest Cities In California For 2023

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

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 9,680 48.7% $28,626 4,716
2 Huron 6,277 40.3% $34,714 2,531
3 Firebaugh 8,040 32.7% $36,667 2,632
4 Mendota 12,534 37.5% $38,360 4,694
5 Arcata 19,038 34.7% $39,069 6,601
6 McFarland 14,085 29.3% $38,651 4,129
7 Crescent City 6,686 27.2% $34,676 1,821
8 Lindsay 12,551 29.5% $39,375 3,697
9 Woodlake 7,458 31.1% $41,532 2,318
10 Calipatria 7,247 29.2% $39,217 2,113
11 Parlier 14,666 30.2% $42,818 4,425
12 Clearlake 16,468 26.5% $37,783 4,362
13 Desert Hot Springs 31,988 26.3% $37,924 8,423
14 Arvin 19,568 27.9% $42,961 5,458
15 Red Bluff 14,557 26.9% $41,004 3,911
16 Willits 5,008 23.0% $34,519 1,151
17 Barstow 25,123 29.8% $48,219 7,481
18 Corcoran 22,616 27.6% $46,782 6,238
19 Cudahy 23,003 29.1% $47,050 6,690
20 Dinuba 24,383 31.9% $50,186 7,775
21 California City 14,914 25.4% $44,733 3,788
22 Oroville 20,409 21.2% $38,801 4,325
23 Marysville 12,451 23.5% $45,867 2,926
24 Holtville 5,672 22.1% $45,759 1,256
25 Farmersville 10,441 24.4% $48,262 2,551
26 Selma 24,545 23.4% $47,644 5,755
27 Taft 8,730 29.2% $52,917 2,544
28 Yreka 7,807 20.7% $44,444 1,615
29 Brawley 26,431 25.8% $50,964 6,822
30 Bell Gardens 39,870 25.6% $50,311 10,208
31 Anderson 11,208 19.8% $40,954 2,217
32 El Centro 44,322 23.7% $49,244 10,487
33 Wasco 27,505 19.2% $40,532 5,273
34 Merced 85,993 26.6% $52,305 22,891
35 Blythe 18,125 22.4% $49,235 4,064
36 Calexico 38,798 21.0% $47,390 8,154
37 Madera 66,173 27.4% $53,777 18,133
38 Avenal 13,881 25.6% $52,080 3,553
39 Twentynine Palms 27,176 19.9% $46,887 5,419
40 Bell 33,915 23.3% $51,183 7,916
41 Porterville 62,164 21.0% $48,955 13,076
42 Eureka 26,763 19.5% $46,926 5,214
43 Willows 6,241 24.1% $53,250 1,501
44 Banning 29,664 19.0% $46,834 5,643
45 Guadalupe 8,138 27.7% $58,449 2,254
46 Fort Bragg 7,049 18.6% $46,174 1,307
47 Huntington Park 55,439 19.9% $51,065 11,054
48 Delano 52,206 18.7% $48,344 9,784
49 Exeter 10,349 22.0% $55,519 2,274
50 San Luis Obispo 47,257 29.6% $61,862 13,974
51 Fresno 538,678 22.9% $57,211 123,375
52 Hemet 88,903 17.2% $46,194 15,280
53 Shafter 19,897 22.2% $56,696 4,423
54 Maywood 25,477 20.9% $54,535 5,322
55 San Bernardino 220,821 20.9% $55,372 46,181
56 Yucca Valley 21,663 19.0% $51,978 4,118
57 Adelanto 37,229 21.0% $58,040 7,813
58 Grass Valley 13,550 15.7% $44,906 2,126
59 Shasta Lake 10,399 17.5% $51,713 1,818
60 South El Monte 19,860 21.5% $60,244 4,261
61 Chico 103,898 21.9% $60,507 22,711
62 Coachella 42,123 14.5% $40,688 6,124
63 Cathedral City 51,836 18.8% $56,671 9,731
64 Reedley 25,168 18.4% $55,498 4,629
65 El Cajon 106,043 19.1% $58,193 20,293
66 Kerman 15,817 16.2% $50,130 2,567
67 El Monte 110,144 18.1% $56,524 19,943
68 Susanville 16,305 17.3% $53,750 2,823
69 Hesperia 99,287 18.9% $58,578 18,742
70 Lompoc 44,232 19.4% $60,234 8,567
71 Ukiah 16,728 18.1% $56,975 3,020
72 Fowler 6,675 20.4% $61,712 1,360
73 Lancaster 171,820 19.9% $61,454 34,144
74 Paradise 7,730 15.9% $51,396 1,225
75 Victorville 132,924 18.8% $61,206 24,973
76 National City 56,846 15.2% $51,735 8,666
77 Atwater 31,401 17.3% $59,436 5,445
78 Sanger 26,424 17.4% $59,650 4,595
79 Orland 8,168 14.4% $49,872 1,179
80 King City 13,419 16.8% $59,712 2,251
81 Fortuna 12,480 14.7% $53,526 1,832
82 San Jacinto 53,299 18.0% $62,144 9,610
83 Soledad 25,102 20.1% $67,366 5,040
84 Live Oak 9,119 18.0% $62,974 1,640
85 Compton 96,083 17.3% $62,297 16,656
86 Apple Valley 75,311 16.9% $61,758 12,764
87 Lynwood 67,497 16.5% $61,612 11,132
88 Commerce 12,459 14.8% $58,226 1,839
89 Chowchilla 18,826 16.0% $60,875 3,006
90 Tulare 68,395 16.0% $62,050 10,961
91 Hawaiian Gardens 14,178 17.2% $66,578 2,439
92 Redding 93,251 15.1% $60,624 14,091
93 Colusa 6,359 13.9% $55,664 883
94 Montclair 37,871 17.8% $67,483 6,733
95 Stockton 317,818 16.3% $63,916 51,871
96 Indio 88,542 14.5% $59,399 12,864
97 Colton 53,894 14.8% $60,874 7,965
98 Coalinga 17,560 16.5% $65,180 2,905
99 Hawthorne 87,863 16.0% $63,847 14,061
100 Ceres 49,132 16.1% $64,153 7,889
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 2023

  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.

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