Amid pledges from Democratic legislative leaders to make California more affordable, there is persistent evidence that the state’s high cost of living won’t get better anytime soon.
The latest comes from California’s housing department, which recently released its annual report detailing how much households can earn in each of California’s 58 counties to be eligible for various government programs, including housing assistance programs.
One striking takeaway? Earning a six-figure salary as a single person without dependents is considered “low income” in five counties — all in Northern California.
Residents making an annual income of up to $109,700 who are living in Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties are considered low income, according to the California Department of Housing & Community Development. Topping the list is Santa Clara County, the home of Silicon Valley’s tech industry, which designates $111,700 as low income.
For a three-person household — say, two parents with one child — earning a combined six-figure salary is also considered low income in an additional 11 counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Monterey, Napa, Orange, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Sonoma and Ventura counties.
This wasn’t always the case, as SFGATE points out: Five years ago, $78,550 was considered low income for a single-person household in Santa Clara County, a difference of $33,150, or 42%, compared to now. Indeed no California county in 2020 considered a six-figure salary low income; with $97,600 standing as the low-income ceiling for Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo counties.
The report comes as both the federal and state government plan to cut or shift funds for social safety net programs; rising insurance costs drive up rents; electric bills in California remain some of the highest in the country; and inflation is “projected to accelerate” under President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.