Report

Economic Vulnerabilities to COVID-19 Among LGBT Adults in California

May 2020

Using data from the California Health Interview Survey, this study describes characteristics of LGBT adults in California in relation to their vulnerability to economic harm from the COVID-19 pandemic.

AUTHORS
  • Kathryn K. O’Neill
    Policy Analyst
Highlights
Poverty among LGBT Californians is concentrated among young people, women, and people of color.
Even before recent job losses related to this pandemic, many LGBT Californians were unemployed and looking for work.
Significant portions of LGBT workers in industries impacted by the pandemic were already living below 200% of the poverty line.
Data Points
1.7 million
LGBT adults live in California
15%
of all LGBT adults in the U.S. live in California

Executive Summary

This report describes characteristics of LGBT adults in California, a population of nearly 1.7 million, in relation to their vulnerability to economic harm from the COVID-19 pandemic. A separate report examines COVID-19 related health vulnerabilities.1 Data were pulled from the California Health Interview Survey 2015-2018 through the AskCHIS platform.2  Thus, information reported here was collected prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and does not reflect recent changes related to COVID-19.

Key Findings

  • About 612,000 LGBT Californians were living below 200% of the federal poverty level.
  • Poverty among LGBT Californians is concentrated among young people and people of color.
  • An estimated 814,000 LGBT Californians were employed in industries that have been heavily impacted by the pandemic. These include health care and social assistance, retail, leisure and hospitality, professional and business services, and construction.3
  • An estimated 251,000 LGBT Californians were working in highly impacted industries and earned below 200% of the federal poverty line prior to COVID-19.
  • Many (839,000) LGBT Californians rent their homes.
  • Over 300,000 LGBT Californians experienced food insecurity prior to COVID-19.

Efforts to monitor the economic impact of COVID-19 on Californians must include a focus on vulnerable populations, including LGBT adults.

Download the full report

Economic Vulnerabilities to COVID-19 Among LGBT Adults in California

O’Neill, K. K. (2020) Health vulnerabilities to COVID-19 among LGBT Adults in California. Los Angeles, CA: Williams Institute. https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/?post_type=publications&p=4570&preview=true

UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, Los Angeles, CA. AskCHIS 2015-2018. Available at http://ask.chis.ucla.edu. Exported on April 1, 2020.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment Situation Summary. (April 3, 2020). https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ archives/empsit_04032020.htm