Ventura County poverty rates refused to budge and household income saw a significant drop last year despite broader economic gains across the country, according to U.S. census data released Thursday.
While state and national average incomes experienced slight but statistically insignificant increases, Ventura County's median household income dropped from $76,060 in 2011 to $71,517 in 2012, according to annual estimates from the U.S. Bureau's American Community Survey.
"Average working families are not sharing in the gains of the economic recovery," said Lucas Zucker, a researcher for the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy. "Ventura County just happened to be one of those places where it got a little bit worse."
Approximately 11.5 percent of local residents in 2012 lived in poverty — defined as an annual household income of less than $23,283 for a family of four.
But poverty rates and annual income varied widely across the county, according to the survey that includes data from cities with at least 65,000 residents.
Oxnard had a $57,351 median household income with 17.1 percent living in poverty; Ventura had $62,077 annual income with 9.6 percent poverty; Simi Valley had $82,223 annual income with 8.3 percent poverty; Camarillo had $86,735 annual income with 5.1 percent poverty; and Thousand Oaks had $87,402 annual income with 7.9 percent poverty.
Disparities among race, education level and citizenship status also were pervasive regarding poverty rates in Ventura County.
For example, while non-Hispanic whites in Ventura County had a poverty rate of 5.9 percent and median household income of $78,457, with 9.4 percent lacking health insurance — the data painted a much different picture for local Hispanics. In 2012, Hispanic residents had a poverty rate of 18.9 percent and household income of $54,751, with 25.3 percent lacking health insurance.
The overall poverty rate for county residents who were born in the U.S. was 10.6 percent, but only 7 percent of residents who were born in a foreign country and became naturalized citizens lived in poverty in 2012.
However, 20.4 percent of Ventura County residents who were born in another country and do not have citizenship status are living in poverty.
Zucker said this statistic could change drastically if the U.S. House of Representatives moves forward with comprehensive immigration reform that provides a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million immigrants living in the country without legal permission.
Ventura County would see a "significant reduction in its poverty rate over time" if an opportunity to become citizens was presented to the approximately 71,000 immigrants living locally without legal permission, Zucker said.
"There are huge economic benefits of immigration reform," Zucker said. Immigrants working without legal status are often paid lower rates, but as citizens, they would have greater purchasing power that would lead to consumer spending throughout the community and local economic growth, he added.
But the census data shows immigrant status is far from the only indicator of local poverty.
The number of Ventura County residents receiving food stamp benefits has been rising steadily since 2008 — going from 4.1 percent in 2008 to 7.5 percent in 2012.
Susan Haverland, vice president of programs and services for FOOD Share of Ventura County, said the nonprofit saw a "significant increase in people seeking to enroll in food stamps — mostly working families looking to make ends meet."
There are more than 100,000 people living in Ventura County who are food-insecure — meaning they can't afford to buy enough food to support their family's need for nutrition, Haverland said.
"We are serving the working poor — just because people have jobs doesn't mean they're making a living wage," she said. "Many of those that are eligible for food stamps work full time and yet they still qualify because working full time doesn't mean they can pay their bills and have enough left to feed their families."
While Haverland said food insecurity extends throughout all local communities, the recent census figures show Oxnard had the greatest percentage of the population receiving food stamp benefits at 15.6 percent in 2012 — compared to 9 percent in 2008.
"The recession ends top down," she said. "While things are improving, I'm not sure that improvement has been felt by all the working people in the county."
Not all of the 2012 statistics were discouraging.
A greater pool of local young adults and children are covered by health insurance, which Zucker said could be attributed to provisions under President Barack Obama's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
The rate of uninsured 18- to 24-year-olds in Ventura County, for example, dropped to 25.9 percent in 2012 from 32.4 percent in 2009. The rate of local uninsured children now stands at 5.6 percent, while it was 9 percent in 2011.
About 16 percent of Ventura County's overall population does not have health insurance, but that is expected to continue to drop as the state's health insurance exchange opens Oct. 1
"It's really important for low- and middle-income families to consider enrolling in the health exchanges," Zucker said. "It's a key way for folks to supplement their income and help provide basic necessities like health insurance for their family when the economic recovery is not benefiting them."