Individual Data Visualization Lab

Rent & Income Divergence
Across LA Districts

Two visualizations built from the team's MySQL database (ddelgatt_LA_neighborhoods). Data drawn from the income and medianRent tables covering 8 LA County Community College Districts, 2015–2024.

Database: ddelgatt_LA_neighborhoods Tables used: income, medianRent Districts: 8 LA County CCDs Years: 2015–2024
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Visualization One — Bubble Chart

Income vs. Rent Burden by District

A bubble chart plotting each district's 2024 median income (x-axis) against its estimated rent burden — the share of income consumed by median rent (y-axis). Bubble size represents the total number of households in that district. The dashed line marks the 30% cost-burden threshold. Districts above the line are cost-burdened by definition.

Underlying Data — Income vs Rent Burden, 2024

Source: ddelgatt_LA_neighborhoods · income table (2024) + medianRent table (2024)

District Households Median Income Median Rent/mo Annual Rent Rent % of Income Cost Burdened?
South Gate–East LA123,457$66,711$1,551$18,61227.9%Borderline
Inglewood123,416$75,746$1,766$21,19228.0%Borderline
Compton91,760$86,558$1,708$20,49623.7%No
Los Angeles994,694$79,637$1,919$23,02828.9%Borderline
Long Beach–Lakewood206,241$91,722$1,889$22,66824.7%No
San Fernando Valley645,329$92,046$2,076$24,91227.1%No
Santa Monica47,297$114,885$2,402$28,82425.1%No
Pasadena103,835$120,550$2,294$27,52822.8%No
Annual rent = median monthly rent × 12. Rent burden = annual rent ÷ median income. Data from income table (2024) and medianRent table (2024).
Visualization 1 of 2 — Bubble Chart
2024 Median Income vs. Rent Burden — Bubble Size = Households
Each bubble = one district. Hover for full details. The dashed purple line = 30% cost-burden threshold. Larger bubbles = more households affected.
District
Larger = more households
30% burden threshold
Key finding: Los Angeles CCD has the most households (994,694) and sits at 28.9% rent burden — just under the 30% threshold. South Gate–East LA and Inglewood, with the lowest incomes, are closest to the cost-burden line despite having lower absolute rents. Pasadena households, despite paying $2,294/mo, are the least burdened because their median income is highest. Income, not rent level, determines housing stress.
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Visualization Two — Interactive Heatmap

Median Income Growth Heatmap, 2015–2024

A heatmap showing median household income for all 8 districts across all 10 years. Each cell is colored by income level — darker purple = higher income. This reveals not just who earns more, but how quickly each district climbed (or didn't). Toggle between showing raw income and year-over-year % change.

Underlying Data — Median Household Income by District & Year

Source: ddelgatt_LA_neighborhoods · income table · all years 2015–2024

District 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Total Growth
Compton$51,447$53,464$56,428$59,060$61,936$66,224$70,887$77,931$83,162$86,558+68.3%
Inglewood$43,367$45,214$47,456$51,371$55,184$58,869$64,289$70,593$73,014$75,746+74.6%
Long Beach$55,924$58,059$61,512$63,896$66,780$70,912$75,095$83,431$88,360$91,722+64.0%
Los Angeles$46,828$48,737$51,560$55,002$59,080$62,464$66,937$73,626$77,670$79,637+70.1%
Pasadena$81,640$82,823$86,342$90,522$95,973$97,979$104,295$113,711$119,259$120,550+47.7%
San Fernando$59,291$61,033$64,059$67,726$71,543$74,655$78,810$85,802$90,176$92,046+55.2%
Santa Monica$76,580$82,123$86,084$93,865$96,570$98,300$99,847$106,797$109,739$114,885+50.0%
South Gate$38,184$39,707$41,388$43,615$46,492$50,496$54,469$59,962$63,810$66,711+74.7%
All values in nominal dollars (not inflation-adjusted). Source: ddelgatt_LA_neighborhoods · income table · Median income (dollars) field.
Visualization 2 of 2 — Heatmap
Median Income by District & Year — Color = Income Level
Hover any cell for exact value. Toggle between raw income and year-over-year % change to see both the level and the pace of growth.
Raw Income Year-over-Year % Change
Lower
Higher
Key finding: South Gate–East LA started with the lowest median income ($38,184 in 2015) but grew 74.7% by 2024 — the fastest growth of any district. Yet its 2024 income ($66,711) is still $53,839 below Pasadena. Growth rate alone doesn't close the gap — the absolute dollar distance between districts has barely changed, meaning displacement pressure is structural, not temporary.