Published Date: October 18, 2016

California's communities of color have made up the majority of the population since 2000. Communities of color will become an estimated 62 percent of the state’s population by 2030. Within those shifts, California’s senior communities are expected to grow to 19 percent of California’s population in the next decade, and to include greater proportions of Latino, Asian American, and African American seniors. The Latino community is projected to make up almost half of the state’s population by 2045. Therefore, the policy and planning decisions made today must have these communities' needs in mind including issues such as income, housing challenges, access to food and parks, access to health care.

Using 2013-2014 California Health Interview Survey, several Center publications, 2014 American Community Survey and other sources, this report outlines the current state of health for Californians for whom opportunities for health equity have been hindered, or even rendered nonexistent, as a result of policies, or lack thereof, at play in our socio-economic, physical environment, and health service systems and structures. The report, in its 3rd edition, proposes policy solutions that take into account the intersecting identities of Californians, and the structural inequities that must be addressed to build on California’s momentum and achieve health equity for all.   Ying-Ying Meng, Co-director of the Center's Chronic Disease Program, and Vanessa Lam, Center graduate student researcher, produced research, data and maps for this report.  

Publication Authors:
  • California Pan-Ethnic Health Network