Summary
This article examines how young people’s economic outlook has fared in California since the onset of the Great Recession. We draw on the American Community Survey and data from the National Low Income Housing Coalition to show how key economic indicators have changed from 2007 to 2016 for different age groups in California, with an emphasis on those aged 18 to 29. While we find that more young people have bachelor’s degrees and are more likely to have health insurance than in 2007, we also find that young Californians today are worse off on other indicators such as employment, income, and affordable housing. Moreover, income varies widely for young adults by metropolitan region and race/ethnicity. Given these findings, we discuss policy solutions to offset generational inequity, recognizing that many young adults in California started their life paths during turbulent economic times and face an uncertain economic future.
