Poverty & Basic Needs
How are San Joaquin County residents meeting their basic needs?
12.8%
As of 2024, approximately 12.8% of San Joaquin County residents lived below the poverty line, compared to 11.8% for California and 12.1% nationwide.
38.8%
San Joaquin County experienced an approximately 39% reduction in its poverty rate between 2014 and 2024.
17.4%
Of San Joaquin County children under 18 lived below the poverty level in 2024. In 2024, 35,469 of the 203,478 children under 18 for whom poverty status was determined lived below the poverty level.
Poverty & Basic Needs
Poverty Rates
San Joaquin County has historically experienced higher poverty rates compared to both California and national averages. However, there has been a significant improvement over the past decade. From 2014 to 2024, the county’s poverty rate decreased from 20.9% to 12.8%, representing a reduction of about 38.8%. San Joaquin County now sits close to both the California (11.8%) and national (12.1%) poverty rates as of 2024. Despite this progress, poverty remains a significant challenge, particularly for certain demographic groups and areas within the county.
38.8%
San Joaquin County experienced an approximately 39% reduction in its poverty rate between 2014 and 2024.
Poverty by Race and Ethnicity
Poverty rates in San Joaquin County vary across racial and ethnic groups. American Indian and Alaska Native residents have the highest rate in the county at 18.1%, followed by residents identifying as some other race alone (16.2%) and Black or African American residents (16.1%). Hispanic or Latino residents of any race are at 15.3%. The lowest measured rates are for Asian residents (10.1%) and White alone, not Hispanic or Latino residents (10.8%). The county’s rates for Black or African American and Hispanic or Latino residents sit below the corresponding national figures (20.3% and 16.2%), while its American Indian and Alaska Native rate is above California’s (15.1%) but below the national figure (19.6%). No estimate was published for Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander residents in the county. Each rate is the share of that group’s own population below the poverty level, and Hispanic or Latino origin overlaps the race-alone groups, so the figures are not additive.
18.1%
is the poverty rate for American Indian and Alaska Native residents in San Joaquin County — the highest of any racial or ethnic group in the county, and about 1.7 times the rate for White alone, not Hispanic or Latino residents (10.8%).
Poverty by Age Group
Poverty rates in San Joaquin County vary across age groups, with young children the most affected. Children under 5 years have the highest rate at 20.1%, well above the California (14.5%) and national (16.5%) rates for the same age group. Children aged 5 to 17 are at 16.6%, and children under 18 overall at 17.4%, compared with a county-wide rate of 12.8%. Working-age adults aged 18 to 64 have a rate of 11.0%, close to California (10.8%) and the United States (11.2%). Adults aged 65 and over are at 12.3%, slightly above both California (11.8%) and the national figure (11.2%). These patterns point to child poverty, and early childhood in particular, as the sharpest need.
20.1%
Children under 5 years in San Joaquin County experience the highest poverty rate of any age group at 20.1%, about 57% higher than the county’s overall poverty rate of 12.8%.
Living Wage
The living wage represents the hourly rate that an individual must earn to support themselves and their family in San Joaquin County. It provides a more realistic assessment of economic needs than the federal poverty level or minimum wage. For a single adult with no children, the living wage in San Joaquin County is approximately $26.03 per hour, while for a single adult with one child, it increases to $45.90. Two adults with one child where both adults are working would each need to earn $26.15 per hour. These figures highlight the significant gap between the $16.90 minimum-wage reference in the MIT table and what is actually needed to meet basic needs. This gap is particularly challenging for families with children, who face additional costs for childcare, healthcare, and education.
54.0% higher
The 2026 living wage for one adult without children was $26.03 per hour, compared with the $16.90 minimum-wage reference in the MIT table.