CENSUS BUREAU STATS TELL L.A.'s STORY: FIFTEEN PERCENT IN COUNTRY AND NINETEEN PERCENT IN CITY STILL LIVING BELOW POVERTY LINE

Median household incomes are on the rise, according to Census Bureau data released Tuesday.
Income rose in the county rose 6.3 percent from 2005 - to $51,315 - and the percentage of residents living in poverty dropped from 16.3 percent to 15.4 percent last year. But many still live in poverty and you have to wonder what sort of statistical fiddling was done in order to goose these numbers out. Anyone living in or near Los Angeles can see poverty is a greater threat and homelessness is a greater issue than it was even two to five years ago. Still, the county improvements in at least these numbers, mirroring similar gains in the city and statewide, also are expected to be reflected in the San Fernando Valley when Census Bureau figures for the region are released.