Income

California vs Florida: Poverty Rate

California has a lower poverty rate than Florida.

California flag
California
CA · West
Winner
12.0%
Share of residents below the federal poverty line (ACS 2023).
Florida flag
Florida
FL · South
12.3%
Share of residents below the federal poverty line (ACS 2023).

Visual comparison

California12.0%
Florida12.3%

Difference: 0.30 percentage points — California leads.

National Rankings

Where They Rank Nationally

See where both states fall among all 50 states for poverty rate.

California #27 · 12.0%
Florida #32 · 12.3%
Best Worst

10 Best States — Poverty Rate

Lower is better
#1 New Hampshire flag New Hampshire
7.2%
#2 Utah flag Utah
9.0%
#3 Colorado flag Colorado
9.3%
#4 Minnesota flag Minnesota
9.3%
#5 Maryland flag Maryland
9.5%
#6 New Jersey flag New Jersey
9.7%
#7 Vermont flag Vermont
9.7%
#8 North Dakota flag North Dakota
9.8%
#9 Hawaii flag Hawaii
10.1%
#10 Idaho flag Idaho
10.1%
Selected states
#27 California flag California
12.0%
#32 Florida flag Florida
12.3%

California ranks 27th and Florida ranks 32nd nationally for poverty rate.

Related context

Poverty in Context

Poverty reflects wages, jobs, local costs, and access to public programs — rarely just one factor.

What this means

California vs Florida: Poverty Rate in context

California's poverty rate is 12.0%, compared with 12.3% in Florida. Share of residents below the federal poverty line (ACS 2023).

California
12.0%
Florida
12.3%
Difference
0.30 percentage points

People also ask

California vs Florida Poverty Rate — common questions

QWhat is California's poverty rate?

California's poverty rate is 12.0%.

QWhat is Florida's poverty rate?

Florida's poverty rate is 12.3%.

QWhich state has a lower poverty rate — California or Florida?

California has a lower poverty rate than Florida.

More comparisons: California vs Florida

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Full comparison

Data source and freshness

Data period
ACS 2023 estimates
Dataset reviewed
July 23, 2026
Method note
State values or ratios calculated from ACS fields.