LONG BEACH - Many residents of Long Beach
and surrounding cities are going without health care. In 2008 we tread
water economically and we paid dearly to cover mortgages and meet the
rent.
These are just a few of the results revealed today as the
U.S. Census unveiled a detailed look at data from its American
Community Survey.
The new data telescope to the city level, providing statistical snapshots of cities with 65,000 or more people.
It is a numerical picture of the area as the recession settled in in 2008 and its effects began to be felt.
Analysts
suspect the data may understate current realities as the numbers don't
capture the economic fallout from the first half of 2009, when
unemployment steadily rose and things like health insurance became less
available.
Health insurance was a new topic in the 2008 report and numbers locally were grim.
The
percentage of Long Beach residents without health insurance was 18.8.
In neighboring cities the numbers ranged from a low of 14.2 percent in
Lakewood to 25.5 percent in Compton. The percentage of people without
insurance in Los Angeles County was 22.3, while that state average was
17.8. Nationally, 15.4 percent of the population was without health
coverage.
The health care numbers are particularly significant as the
President and Congress continue to wrangle over sweeping health care
reform.
Long Beach families held their own in income.
The median household income in Long Beach was $50,975, which was slightly ahead of the 2007 median of $48,290.
Lakewood had the highest median income of the local cities measured at $81,776, while Compton came in at the lowest at $40,236.
In Long Beach and nearby cities, we pay a premium to live in California and enjoy the lifestyle.
The government sets 30 percent of a person's income as a reasonable rent.
In
Long Beach, 51 percent percent of renters paid more than 30 percent of
their income to rent and 28 percent paid more than half. In Compton,
those numbers swelled to 62 and 34 percent, respectively. In Lakewood,
only 11 percent pay more than half their income on rent.
California has the highest median mortgages at $2,384,
ahead of New Jersey and Hawaii. In Long Beach the median mortgage in
2008 was $2,463.
In Long Beach, 53 percent of homeowners paid more than 30 percent of their income into mortgages and
25
percent paid half or more. In Compton, 74 percent of homeowners are
paying 30 percent and 43 percent are paying half or more. In Lakewood,
48 percent pay more than
30 percent and 17 more than 50 percent.
greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291
FAIR USE NOTICE. This document may contain copyrighted material the use of which may not have been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Tenants Together is making this article available on our website in an effort to advance the understanding of tenant rights issues in California. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.