When it comes to economics, there’s a lot for California to brag about. The nation’s largest by population and third-largest in area, the state’s abundance of industrial riches — technology, agriculture, entertainment and tourism, to name a few — has helped it become a global economic powerhouse, with a gross domestic product of $4.1 trillion.
Yet even though California’s economy is bigger and more robust than the economies of Japan, South Korea, Brazil, and nearly every other developed nation, a new report finds that Black women in the Golden State aren’t sharing in the wealth.
Prosperity But With Unequal Outcomes
Indeed, the 2025 State of Black Women in California Report found that Black California women are more likely than white men and women to work in low-wage jobs, spend a greater proportion of their income on child care, have a household income close to the federal poverty line and grapple with housing insecurity.
“Black women have always been a force—raising families, building movements, holding up communities, and breaking barriers with unmatched grace and grit,” says Kellie Todd Griffin, president and CEO of the California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute, which produced the report.
While Black women are often celebrated for strength, “we are far too rarely supported with the resources, respect, and recognition we deserve,” Todd Griffin says. California should do more to uplift Black women, she says, “because when Black women rise, we bring families, communities, and this entire state with us.”
On the surface, according to the report, the news isn’t bad: Black women make up 6.6% of California’s female population, or roughly 1.2 million people. They are represented in nearly all sectors of the Golden State’s economy, voters have elected Black women to political office at all levels of government and a Californian was the nation’s first Black female vice president.
But the picture worsens from there.
Black women Californians are overrepresented in data on poverty and income inequity, which leads to health disparities and housing instability, according to the report. Nearly one quarter of Black women and girls live below the federal poverty line — double the rate for white women in the state.
Home to Los Angeles, San Diego and Silicon Valley, as well as temperate year-round weather and good schools, California is a mecca for the entertainment, high-tech and agriculture industries. Yet the report found that the state’s Black women earn just 60 cents for every dollar white men are paid, and one in four Black women live below the federal poverty line.
Although California’s median household income is around $100,000, Black women in the state are also more likely to work in low-wage jobs and industries — and are underrepresented in the STEM, finance, and executive-level workforce, according to the report.
Black single mothers in California spend nearly 70% of their income on unsubsidized childcare, compared to around 10% of total household income for married couples and 32% for single parents nationally. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services considers child care “affordable” at no more than 7% of household income.
Given the economic headwinds Black women Californians face, the report finds, they have significant barriers to saving money to buy homes and build wealth.
At the same time, they face “the highest eviction rates and are more than twice as likely as white women to be unhoused,” the report says.
In fact, the report notes, Black women make up 3 in 10 unhoused women in the state — five times their percentage of the state’s population. Health outcomes for Black women aren’t much better. Although more than 1 in 3 Black Women and children rely on the state’s public health insurance, Black maternal mortality is still four to six times higher than the national average, and one in three Black women in California delays medical care because of healthcare costs.
The disparities affect all age ranges. Black Girls under age 18 make up 1 in 14 girls in the state, but have some of the highest poverty rates and lowest rates of academic success. Nevertheless, 91% of Black women aged 25 and older in California hold at least a high school diploma.
A Call for Equity-Centered Action
This is the third year the Institute has issued its report, which reflects demographic data, policy analysis, and qualitative findings from surveys of hundreds of women.
Many of the Institute’s recommendations for improving well-being for Black women in California centers on closing the disparities in healthcare, income and housing, among others. They call for expanding Black maternal health initiatives such as training more doulas and midwives, as well as increasing the amount of implicit bias training medical professionals receive. There’s also a need to fund culturally responsive mental health and wellness centers for Black women and girls.
Economic Justice recommendations include raising wages in the public sector and care economy jobs where Black Women are overrepresented. And having more access to affordable housing and legal protection from eviction could help improve housing stability.
“The time for bold, data-driven, equity-centered action is now,” the report says. “Because when we use the truth to inform our strategies—and the stories behind the statistics to guide our steps—we don’t just change outcomes for Black Women. We change the future of California.”
