California has the highest poverty rate in the country, tied with Louisiana.
Posted by On with Kara Swisher, Checked Updated
- Sources
- 4 contradict1 support1 context
- Said
- 2 times·
- Confidence
- 55%
On with Kara SwisherAug 10, 2026
The claim's ranking depends on the poverty measure. Under the official measure, Louisiana (18.1% in 2025) is the highest state and California (about 10.7%, the national rate) is not near the top.
This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.
What was said
… We've had 16 years now where you've had one party in control, and the results, especially for regular working people, small business owners in particular, are just really tough, right? I mean, we can go through the data, but it's bad. I mean, we have the highest poverty rate in the country right now, tied with Louisiana; highest unemployment rate of all 50 states; the highest cost of living by far; highest gas prices; electric bills have doubled in the last 10 years. They're now double the national average. Grocery is the most expensive. …
On with Kara Swisher · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Contradicts. The Census Bureau's 2025 official poverty data ranks Louisiana highest (18.1%), with Mississippi next (18.0%), and California is not at the top.[1][2]
Contradicts. On the SPM, Census shows Louisiana (19.0%) ahead of California (17.8%), so California is second rather than tied for highest.[1][3][4]
Supports. CalMatters reports California was tied with Louisiana on the SPM the last time supplemental rates were issued (17.7%), which is the most recent data available at the post date.[5]
Context. The Census rankings are 3-year averages in some releases and single-year estimates in others, so the ordering shifts with the measure and time window used.[1][2][6]
Sources
6 sources: 2 primary, 4 not rated
- 1States With Highest Poverty Rates Clustered in the Southcensus.gov · primary source · cited for: contradicts, context
- 2Poverty in States and Metropolitan Areas: 2025 - census.govwww2.census.gov · primary source · cited for: contradicts, context
- 3Why California’s poverty rate is second only to Louisianalaist.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 4Poverty in California Remains Steady, Among the Highest in the Nationcalbudgetcenter.org · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 5Opinion | California's high living costs put its poverty rate near the topcalmatters.org · not rated · cited for: supports
- 6The overlooked geography of American poverty - Axiosaxios.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 2 published posts
Checked 2 times
Each check reads the sources again. The newest verdict is the one this page states.
- · latestMixed
- False
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