Report Cites O.C. Economy as Key to Thinner Welfare Rolls

Propelled by a booming local economy, Orange County is leading the way in California’s campaign to remove aid recipients from the welfare rolls, according to a study to be released today by a Washington think tank.

The Brookings Institution report found that Orange County reduced its welfare rolls by 42% since 1994, recording the biggest drop in Southern California and the second-largest statewide behind Santa Clara County in the Silicon Valley.

Researchers concluded that prosperous suburban counties like Orange and Santa Clara were having greater success implementing welfare reform than urban areas like Los Angeles (23%) and less affluent suburbs in the Inland Empire.

Orange County is enjoying an economic boom that local officials have attributed to the success in finding decent-paying jobs for welfare recipients. But the Brookings Institution report said that the county’s relatively small number of poverty-stricken inner cities has also helped. About 30% of Orange County residents live in a “central city” area--far less than other counties.