Social and Economic Factors Influencing Health

Socio-economic and environmental factors play a role in a person’s ability to achieve health and wellness. The following section highlights the social and economic factors influencing the health of Angelenos. 

Data from annual homeless counts in the County shows a 37.9% increase from 2013 to 2017 from 35,524 to 57,205, respectively.

Chart of LA County Homeless Persons 2013-2017.
Source: LAHSA 2013 and 2017 Homeless Counts

The number of community clinic patients who live below 100% of the federal poverty level increased in SPAs 1, 3, 5, and 7.

Chart of community clinic patients by economic status.
Source: OSHPD 2012 and 2015

On a variety of measures of health, there is wide variation in health indicators across Los Angeles County and the SPAs. With the exception of a few SPAs, most areas are impacted by high poverty rates, high rates of low educational attainment, and high housing costs as a share of income. These indicators show that there are significant portions of the County population living in extreme economic hardship.

Chart of social determinants of health.
Source: CHIS 2012 and 2015

These are key findings from CCALAC’s 2018 Network Adequacy Report.

This project was funded by L.A. Care Health Plan to benefit low-income and uninsured residents of Los Angeles County.