Bakersfield named 4th poorest large metro area in US

By GOSIA WOZNIACKA, Associated Press Published:  Sep 20, 2012 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                 

                                                 The "Bakersfield" sign next to Buck Owens' Crystal Palace off Buck Owens Boulevard and Highway 99 

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FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Three metropolitan areas in California's Central Valley rank among the poorest in the state and country.

 

Census figures released Thursday found that the Fresno, Modesto and Bakersfield-Delano areas are among the top five U.S. regions with the highest percentage of residents living below the poverty line.

The data show the Fresno area is the nation's second-poorest large metropolitan area, trailing only McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas, at the U.S.-Mexico border. Bakersfield-Delano and Modesto rank as the fourth and fifth poorest.

 

The valley's poverty rate is high even though its agricultural productivity is soaring. Fresno County itself produces more than $5.6 billion in agricultural products.

 

In Fresno County, 1 in 4 people live under the poverty line. Statewide, 1 in 6 California residents live in poverty.

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Information from: San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News