Megan Joseph, Former Rise Together Executive Director Quoted in the Mercury News

Income inequality is on the rise in California. In some Bay Area counties, the disparities are extreme. An analysis of census data found a growing gap between rich and poor.

"In the Bay Area, where the cost of housing has become a topic of national conversation, those tensions are felt acutely, said Megan Joseph, executive director of Rise Together, a regional coalition aimed at reducing poverty in the Bay Area."

The average income for top earners in many Bay Area counties in 2018 was even higher than the state average for the richest households, according to census data. And San Francisco County had the widest income disparity, with the top 5% of households making an average of $808,105, compared with $16,184 for the lowest 20%.

“The Bay Area feels the income inequalities and the disparity between the numbers at the top and the stagnant wages at the bottom more than most other areas of California because of the cost of living,” Joseph said.

Read more about the Income inequity on the rise in California from the San Jose Mercury News