SACRAMENTO, the United States, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The middle class in the U.S. state of California is shrinking and the high cost of housing has caused many residents to leave the state, a new study found.
Between 2000 and 2019, California lost 7 percent of its middle-income population, while the low-income population and the high-income population increased 37 percent and 34 percent, respectively, according to a study released Thursday by California Community Builders, a nonprofit housing research and advocacy organization.
Using data from the U.S. Census, the report aims to paint a basic demographic picture of middle-income California and find out their housing challenges.
The trend of losing middle-income population is significant and deserves attention from policymakers, given the size of the state, said the researchers.
The drop is most dramatic among families that are considered lower middle income, or those earning between 80 percent and 120 percent of the area median income. This group shrank by an astonishing 2.4 million people from 2000 to 2019, even as the state's overall population grew by over 5 million.
The middle class is defined as those earning between 80 percent and 200 percent of the area median income, according to the study. ■
