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.
$46,629 median income · 34.0% poverty · #6 lowest income in California
Located in
Fresno County, California
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 9,695 people averages the 6th lowest median household income in California and the 3rd 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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$47,734 median income · 36.6% poverty · #9 lowest income in California
Located in
Fresno County, California
The second poorest city in California is Firebaugh.
The city ranks as having the highest incidence of poverty and 9th lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 3rd highest in the Golden State.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$49,183 median income · 34.6% poverty · #10 lowest income in California
Located in
Kern County, California
Placing as the third poorest city, Arvin’s median income ranks as the 10th 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 34.6% 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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$46,713 median income · 27.2% poverty · #7 lowest income in California
Located in
Humboldt County, California
Arcata ranks as the fourth poorest place in California.
The town ranks as having the 7th lowest median household income and the 10th 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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$41,867 median income · 25.5% poverty · #2 lowest income in California
Located in
Lake County, California
The fifth poorest city in California is Clearlake.
The city ranks as having the 2nd 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 16th highest in California.
Still not the best news for Clearlake.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$50,342 median income · 27.5% poverty · #12 lowest income in California
Located in
Fresno County, California
Mendota ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Golden State.
It ranks as having the 9th highest incidence of poverty and the 24th highest unemployment rate.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$46,266 median income · 25.3% poverty · #5 lowest income in California
Located in
Tulare County, California
Woodlake places as the seventh poorest city in California.
The city of over 7,702 ranks as having the 17th highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$52,500 median income · 30.4% poverty · #18 lowest income in California
Located in
Fresno County, California
Huron 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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$53,201 median income · 33.1% poverty · #21 lowest income in California
Located in
Tulare County, California
Lindsay couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in California; it ranks number 9.
While the median income is the 2lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Lindsay ranks as having the 4th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in California.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$52,357 median income · 27.1% poverty · #17 lowest income in California
Located in
Fresno County, California
And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in California is Parlier.
The city of 14,507 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Golden State.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is California’s statewide median.
California statewide median: $99,122
California statewide median: 12.0%
On the map
Where poverty hits hardest in California
Saturday Night Science
How we determined the poorest places in California for 2026
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 2020-2024 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 2026”. The median California home is 49 years old — old enough that it pays to compare home warranty plans before something expensive breaks.
The full plate
Detailed list of the poorest places to live in California
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Poor Score | Population | Median income | Poverty | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orange Cove | 4.50 | 9,695 | $46,629 | 34.0% | 16.7% |
| 2 | Firebaugh | 5.00 | 8,392 | $47,734 | 36.6% | 18.7% |
| 3 | Arvin | 6.00 | 19,539 | $49,183 | 34.6% | 14.0% |
| 4 | Arcata | 8.50 | 18,607 | $46,713 | 27.2% | 11.9% |
| 5 | Clearlake | 9.00 | 16,659 | $41,867 | 25.5% | 14.8% |
| 6 | Mendota | 10.50 | 12,577 | $50,342 | 27.5% | 11.5% |
| 7 | Woodlake | 11.00 | 7,702 | $46,266 | 25.3% | 11.0% |
| 8 | Huron | 11.50 | 6,519 | $52,500 | 30.4% | 12.4% |
| 9 | Lindsay | 12.50 | 12,643 | $53,201 | 33.1% | 17.8% |
| 10 | Parlier | 14.00 | 14,507 | $52,357 | 27.1% | 10.0% |
| 11 | Cudahy | 17.50 | 22,087 | $56,615 | 28.7% | 10.1% |
| 12 | Calipatria | 18.50 | 6,548 | $53,299 | 25.5% | 7.3% |
| 13 | Anderson | 21.00 | 11,255 | $47,375 | 21.2% | 7.5% |
| 14 | Grass Valley | 21.00 | 14,113 | $51,764 | 22.1% | 7.4% |
| 15 | McFarland | 21.50 | 14,222 | $54,608 | 24.1% | 7.9% |
| 16 | Barstow | 22.00 | 25,100 | $53,380 | 23.1% | 11.9% |
| 17 | Marysville | 22.00 | 12,726 | $56,430 | 24.5% | 9.2% |
| 18 | Oroville | 23.50 | 19,752 | $52,270 | 21.4% | 7.7% |
| 19 | Dinuba | 24.00 | 25,475 | $59,484 | 26.8% | 10.6% |
| 20 | El Centro | 25.00 | 44,240 | $53,082 | 21.6% | 9.9% |
| 21 | Calexico | 26.50 | 38,585 | $49,783 | 19.7% | 19.4% |
| 22 | Red Bluff | 31.50 | 14,549 | $51,529 | 18.8% | 7.2% |
| 23 | California City | 33.00 | 14,414 | $60,113 | 22.8% | 18.7% |
| 24 | Brawley | 33.50 | 27,283 | $59,311 | 21.3% | 15.5% |
| 25 | Farmersville | 34.00 | 10,397 | $60,804 | 22.9% | 8.0% |
| 26 | Wasco | 34.00 | 26,558 | $51,727 | 18.4% | 7.0% |
| 27 | Madera | 34.50 | 67,831 | $63,933 | 25.6% | 12.6% |
| 28 | Kerman | 36.00 | 16,815 | $59,799 | 21.3% | 10.4% |
| 29 | Avenal | 36.00 | 13,608 | $54,741 | 19.2% | 12.7% |
| 30 | Guadalupe | 36.00 | 8,566 | $66,930 | 27.7% | 14.4% |
| 31 | Merced | 36.50 | 91,953 | $63,122 | 23.9% | 11.3% |
| 32 | Dos Palos | 37.00 | 5,765 | $42,367 | 17.6% | 9.4% |
| 33 | Bell | 38.00 | 32,476 | $61,020 | 21.6% | 6.9% |
| 34 | Corcoran | 39.00 | 22,491 | $59,905 | 20.7% | 11.1% |
| 35 | Blythe | 39.00 | 17,396 | $56,625 | 18.9% | 11.7% |
| 36 | Reedley | 40.00 | 25,609 | $63,307 | 22.3% | 13.4% |
| 37 | Crescent City | 40.50 | 6,046 | $35,540 | 17.2% | 8.4% |
| 38 | Desert Hot Springs | 40.50 | 33,200 | $52,761 | 18.0% | 6.6% |
| 39 | Fort Bragg | 42.00 | 7,032 | $56,481 | 18.2% | 6.3% |
| 40 | King City | 42.00 | 13,604 | $66,761 | 23.0% | 5.4% |
| 41 | Yreka | 44.00 | 7,820 | $43,982 | 17.0% | 7.5% |
| 42 | Chico | 45.00 | 102,188 | $66,977 | 22.7% | 6.8% |
| 43 | Maywood | 45.00 | 24,317 | $60,943 | 19.4% | 7.8% |
| 44 | Eureka | 45.50 | 26,010 | $57,662 | 18.1% | 10.3% |
| 45 | Selma | 45.50 | 24,659 | $60,241 | 19.0% | 13.3% |
| 46 | Atwater | 46.00 | 32,162 | $64,472 | 21.0% | 12.3% |
| 47 | Bell Gardens | 46.00 | 38,229 | $62,298 | 20.0% | 5.9% |
| 48 | Corning | 48.50 | 8,155 | $56,627 | 17.9% | 2.8% |
| 49 | Huntington Park | 48.50 | 53,108 | $59,996 | 18.3% | 9.5% |
| 50 | Banning | 50.00 | 31,093 | $61,764 | 18.8% | 8.2% |
| 51 | Gridley | 50.50 | 7,330 | $57,974 | 17.9% | 11.5% |
| 52 | Willows | 51.00 | 6,190 | $64,068 | 19.3% | 8.4% |
| 53 | San Luis Obispo | 51.00 | 48,491 | $73,685 | 30.4% | 7.0% |
| 54 | Chowchilla | 52.00 | 19,020 | $66,514 | 19.6% | 10.6% |
| 55 | Fortuna | 54.50 | 12,326 | $62,289 | 18.2% | 7.0% |
| 56 | El Cajon | 55.00 | 104,449 | $67,511 | 20.5% | 9.6% |
| 57 | Fowler | 55.50 | 7,094 | $66,983 | 19.3% | 7.1% |
| 58 | Holtville | 55.50 | 5,617 | $65,039 | 18.7% | 9.4% |
| 59 | Susanville | 59.00 | 14,177 | $61,641 | 17.6% | 9.3% |
| 60 | Shafter | 60.00 | 21,193 | $71,215 | 20.7% | 5.8% |
| 61 | Porterville | 60.00 | 63,157 | $60,461 | 17.3% | 10.1% |
| 62 | Fresno | 60.50 | 545,970 | $70,991 | 20.1% | 8.9% |
| 63 | San Bernardino | 61.50 | 222,724 | $67,415 | 18.6% | 6.1% |
| 64 | Ukiah | 63.00 | 16,304 | $66,160 | 17.9% | 9.6% |
| 65 | South El Monte | 63.50 | 19,287 | $72,990 | 20.9% | 7.4% |
| 66 | Paradise | 65.00 | 7,392 | $67,687 | 18.2% | 4.9% |
| 67 | Coalinga | 65.50 | 17,203 | $75,451 | 21.7% | 11.4% |
| 68 | Hemet | 68.50 | 91,326 | $57,719 | 14.9% | 8.0% |
| 69 | Yucca Valley | 69.00 | 21,770 | $59,563 | 15.7% | 6.6% |
| 70 | El Monte | 72.50 | 106,109 | $68,030 | 17.4% | 6.3% |
| 71 | Colusa | 72.50 | 6,505 | $71,250 | 18.1% | 10.3% |
| 72 | Orland | 72.50 | 8,357 | $64,945 | 16.9% | 5.0% |
| 73 | Los Banos | 74.00 | 47,593 | $68,171 | 17.4% | 8.9% |
| 74 | Tulare | 75.50 | 70,945 | $72,410 | 17.9% | 8.6% |
| 75 | Victorville | 76.50 | 137,627 | $74,410 | 18.4% | 11.1% |
| 76 | Laguna Woods | 76.50 | 17,289 | $59,269 | 14.2% | 7.3% |
| 77 | Adelanto | 78.00 | 37,964 | $68,685 | 17.2% | 11.8% |
| 78 | Delano | 81.00 | 51,679 | $67,010 | 16.0% | 13.9% |
| 79 | Lompoc | 81.50 | 43,646 | $72,004 | 17.3% | 7.0% |
| 80 | Lynwood | 82.00 | 64,578 | $74,844 | 18.0% | 9.8% |
| 81 | Placerville | 82.50 | 10,762 | $67,274 | 15.9% | 4.3% |
| 82 | Twentynine Palms | 82.50 | 27,355 | $62,554 | 14.5% | 3.9% |
| 83 | Live Oak | 83.50 | 9,347 | $73,571 | 17.4% | 6.6% |
| 84 | Apple Valley | 83.50 | 75,473 | $69,882 | 16.6% | 7.5% |
| 85 | Hesperia | 85.50 | 100,775 | $72,160 | 16.9% | 9.3% |
| 86 | National City | 87.00 | 58,893 | $66,841 | 14.6% | 6.6% |
| 87 | Taft | 87.50 | 7,125 | $72,772 | 16.9% | 6.1% |
| 88 | Livingston | 90.50 | 14,606 | $74,494 | 17.1% | 11.6% |
| 89 | Compton | 92.00 | 92,698 | $78,465 | 17.9% | 8.0% |
| 90 | Montclair | 92.50 | 37,810 | $77,659 | 17.7% | 6.8% |
| 91 | Davis | 95.50 | 66,978 | $90,045 | 26.5% | 6.3% |
| 92 | Highland | 96.50 | 56,675 | $77,120 | 17.1% | 6.2% |
| 93 | Inglewood | 99.00 | 104,569 | $72,750 | 14.6% | 8.3% |
| 94 | Hawaiian Gardens | 100.00 | 13,691 | $76,341 | 16.3% | 4.8% |
| 95 | Redding | 100.00 | 93,409 | $70,466 | 14.1% | 5.3% |
| 96 | Shasta Lake | 103.00 | 10,311 | $67,401 | 13.3% | 7.2% |
| 97 | Hawthorne | 104.00 | 85,191 | $75,848 | 15.5% | 7.9% |
| 98 | Colton | 104.50 | 53,772 | $71,208 | 13.7% | 7.5% |
| 99 | Sanger | 106.00 | 26,699 | $77,500 | 15.8% | 9.1% |
| 100 | Tehachapi | 106.50 | 11,946 | $72,957 | 13.9% | 6.4% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 428 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
The poorest cities in California for 2026
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. Not sold on California? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
