In the San Francisco Bay Area in the United States, the poor population has grown the most in 10 years. As living costs soar and the government-led social safety net maintained during the COVID-19 pandemic weakens, an analysis found that hundreds of thousands are struggling to make ends meet.
On the 19th (local time), according to the Washington Post, the San Francisco nonprofit Tipping Point Community said in a recent report that the Bay Area's poverty rate rose by more than 4 percentage points in a year. Defining as poor an adult with an annual income of less than $28,000 (about 41 million won), the number of people in poverty in the region exceeds 1 million, and those near the poverty line alone are estimated at about 800,000. This is a steeper increase than the pace of the rise in the poverty rate across California.
Rising living costs are putting more pressure on already high housing costs. In the Bay Area, average income grew 10% between 2021 and 2023, but living costs nearly doubled. As multiple safety-net programs that expanded during the pandemic—such as child tax credit, food assistance, and unemployment benefits—ended, vulnerable groups were left in an even more precarious situation.
Tazo Stewart-Riascos, 36, a retail worker who also works nights, told the Washington Post, "Two-thirds of my monthly income goes to rent," adding, "I feel like the more I try to get out, the deeper I sink." Stewart-Riascos said the person walks more than 28,000 steps a day and keeps two jobs to make ends meet, but called it "not sustainable."
While the city's surface appears improved with an AI industry boom, investment inflows, and declining crime rates, the lives of actual residents are becoming more unstable. The report assessed that although San Francisco has one of the highest numbers of billionaires in the United States, the share of those in poverty is rising rapidly, making it "one of the most unequal cities."
The surge in housing costs is especially severe. Retired teacher Judy Chau, 70, started working again as a substitute teacher because of the burden of property taxes and utility bills. Chau said, "Water, electricity, and garbage fees are all going up," adding, "Young teachers live with their parents or scrape by on rent and eventually leave the city." San Francisco is cited as the major city with the lowest share of children.
People in the tech industry are also struggling. With the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) and corporate restructuring, thousands have been laid off at large local companies, leaving unemployed tech workers lining up at food banks because they cannot find new jobs. J. Marie Valdivia, 44, who has been job hunting for a second year, said, "I never imagined I would be in this situation," adding, "Half the neighbors have fallen into poverty due to layoffs, and the other half are enjoying enormous wealth."
As San Francisco's skyline rises with the expansion of AI corporations, people experiencing homelessness and the unemployed line up on the streets, drawing criticism as a "tale of two cities."
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said the city is pushing measures such as issuing prepaid cards to fill food assistance gaps and expanding the supply of dwellings amid a fiscal crisis. However, the report's authors warned that "these figures could worsen going forward," saying that bolstering the government-level social safety net is urgent.
For residents living day to day in the Bay Area, reality remains harsh. Stewart-Riascos said, "Because of work, I'm giving up exercise, health care, and dating," adding, "There isn't time to do everything in a day. There's barely enough time to sleep."