Income Inequality

This table contains data on income inequality. The primary measure is the Gini index – a measure of the extent to which the distribution of income among families/households within a community deviates from a perfectly equal distribution. The index ranges from 0.0, when all families (households) have equal shares of income (implies perfect equality), to 1.0 when one family (household) has all the income and the rest have none (implies perfect inequality). Index data is provided for California and its counties, regions, and large cities/towns. The data is from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. The table is part of a series of indicators in the Healthy Communities Data and Indicators Project of the Office of Health Equity. Income is linked to acquiring resources for healthy living. Both household income and the distribution of income across a society independently contribute to the overall health status of a community. On average Western industrialized nations with large disparities in income distribution tend to have poorer health status than similarly advanced nations with a more equitable distribution of income. Approximately 119,200 (5%) of the 2.4 million U.S. deaths in 2000 are attributable to income inequality. The pathways by which income inequality act to increase adverse health outcomes are not known with certainty, but policies that provide for a strong safety net of health and social services have been identified as potential buffers. More information about the data table and a data dictionary can be found in the About/Attachments section.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Contact Email [email protected]
Program Office of Health Equity, Healthy Places Team
Homepage URL https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OHE/Pages/HCI-Search.aspx
Temporal Coverage

2005-2007, 2006-2010, 2008-2010

Spatial/Geographic Coverage

California

Geographic Granularity Regional
Language English (EN)
Frequency Other
License Terms of Use
Limitations Use of this data is subject to the CHHS Terms of Use and any copyright and proprietary notices incorporated in or accompanying the individual files.
Secondary Sources

Gini Index Data from the American Community Survey: Table B19083. http://factfinder2.census.gov

Citation

Healthy Communities Data and Indicators Project, CDPH and UCSF. 2015.

Last Updated October 1, 2020, 16:12 (UTC)