INCOME

The maps that appear at the end of this section demonstrate vividly the strong correlation between income levels and the extent of the destruction caused by the civil unrest. Similar patterns are observed whether one plots median household income, rent as a percent of income, dependence on public assistance, or poverty status.


Poverty

Persons in poverty, according to the 1990 Census, included 15.1 percent of all Los Angeles County residents. Five of the communities, in which there was substantial damage related to the civil unrest, had poverty rates that were more than double the county average. Seven of these communities had poverty rates at least 50 percent above the countywide level, and were also the location of 70 percent of the destroyed buildings. While 6.6 percent of the county's population was in households having incomes no more than 50 percent of the poverty level, nine of the communities cited in this study had at least 1 0 percent of its residents with incomes that were in this category. The Southeast Planning Area had nearly 17 percent of its residents at or below that level.

Persons in households with incomes no more than 25 percent above the poverty level represented a very large proportion of the residents in these communities. The same seven communities with poverty rates 50 percent above the countywide average had at least one-third of its residents at or below this income level. (See Appendix Table 6.)

A somewhat more striking picture emerges when data on households receiving public assistance are examined. While the countywide average for all households in this category was 9.8 percent , six of the affected communities had at least twice that share receiving public assistance. In the Southeast planning area, 31.6 percent of all households fell into that category. (See Appendix Table 7.)

Click Here

Analysis of the 1992 Los Angeles Civil Unrest

Continue to Education
Return to Main Menu