Household Income in L.A. Lower Than National Average

The median household income in Los Angeles was $46,148 in 2011, more than $4,000 lower than the national average of $50,502, according to statistics released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

In addition, 25.9 percent of people in Los Angeles did not have health insurance last year, compared with 15.1 percent nationally.

The figures were contained in the 2011 American Community Survey, which
"provides a wide range of important statistics about our nation's people, housing and economy for all communities in the country including Los Angeles," Census Bureau Acting Director Thomas Mesenbourg said. "The results are used by everyone from retailers, homebuilders and police departments, to town and city planners."

Among the survey's findings:

   - An estimated 54.6 percent of Los Angeles' preschool population was enrolled in school in 2011, compared to 47.4 percent nationally. Only 74.3 percent of people age 25 and older in the city completed high school, less than 85.9 percent in the nation as a whole. The survey said 30.8 percent of those 25 and older in L.A. had bachelor's degrees, compared with 28.5 percent nationally.
   - The median value for an owner-occupied home in Los Angeles was $438,300 in 2011. The national average was $173,600. The city's median gross rent (including utilities) was $1,135, compared with $871 nationally.
    - About 39 percent of the people in Los Angeles were foreign-born, compared with 13 percent in the U.S. as a whole.

More information about Los Angeles' social, economic and housing characteristics can be found on the Census Bureau's American FactFinder website.