Most Inland Empire residents say they are struggling

A pair of UC Riverside studies paint a revealing picture of life in Southern California's Inland Empire-a fast-growing region east of Los Angeles where a majority of residents report they are struggling to get by.

The research, conducted by UCR's Center for Community Solutions, is based on two surveys of more than 3,300 residents and uncovers both troubling disparities and hopeful signs of community cohesion. While the levels of well-being fell below national averages, Inland residents were more likely than other Americans to feel a sense of belonging in their communities.

"Overall, the IE lags behind the U.S. with respect to self-reported well-being, but the region's unusually strong sense of local connection offers hope and a foundation to build upon," said Justine Ross, executive director of the center, which is part of UCR's School of Public Policy.

Following a research method called Cantril's Ladder, survey participants of the "Insights on Vital Conditions in the IE" study were asked to rate their current and anticipated future lives on a scale of zero to ten, which were then combined to place respondents into one of three well-being categories.

The results were sobering. Just 41% of Inland Empire respondents are thriving-the highest well-being category-compared with 53% nationwide. The region's score places it on par with countries such as Brazil, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Slovakia.

Those reported to be thriving tended to have higher incomes, higher levels of education, be married, and belong to churches.

More than half of respondents-53%-said they were struggling, and another 6% reported suffering, meaning they saw little hope for the future.

A companion study focusing on 1,000 women across Riverside and San Bernardino counties revealed even starker challenges. Among them, 58% said they were struggling, and 6% were suffering. Fewer than four in ten women reported feeling they were thriving.

In Riverside County, more than one-third of women surveyed in the "Women and Well-Being" study, said they expected their lives to be worse in five years-a sharp contrast to just 9% of women in neighboring San Bernardino County.

Healthcare stood out as a major gap. Nearly 40% of uninsured women said cost was the main barrier to coverage, and overall access to care lagged behind nearby counties. Education and economic opportunity also remain challenges. Only 30% of pre-kindergarten-aged girls in the region were enrolled in an educational program, and 16% of adult women lacked a high school diploma. Those without a diploma earned a median of just $26,000 annually.

Yet despite these barriers, signs of resilience emerged. Among women surveyed, 93% reported having stable housing, and 88% said they felt safe in their neighborhoods.

The surveys also had hopeful findings. About one-third of Inland residents reported a strong sense of belonging in their local communities, surpassing national rates. And that sense of connection proved to be a powerful factor in well-being.

"We often talk about income as if it is the strongest factor linked to well-being, but our study shows belonging and civic engagement are just as strongly correlated," Ross said.

In fact, the boost in well-being associated with higher levels of community engagement and belonging was comparable to the benefit of earning $190,000 annually.

The findings point to clear opportunities for policy intervention. The reports identified opportunities to expand access to early childhood education, improve healthcare services, increase civic engagement, and invest in initiatives that build social connections. Ross described belonging as "the connective tissue that holds communities together."

Income remains a key predictor of well-being, but the research shows that connection and engagement in the local community-such as neighborhood events, sport leagues and clubs, block watches, community gardens, civic meetings, and support groups-may deliver outsized benefits.

Still, about two-thirds of respondents felt excluded or unsure about their place in the community. The same held true for civic engagement. While most residents were registered to vote, only one in three said they regularly participated in elections. For women, civic confidence was particularly low-just 38% said they felt comfortable contacting elected officials.

"No single measure, like income or education, fully captures well-being," Ross said. "But strong social connection and active civic participation emerge as playing a powerful role."

The studies were developed within the framework of the Vital Conditions for Well-Being-widely used by IE nonprofits and agencies to assess the suite of factors that shape well-being-including access to housing, meaningful work, reliable transportation, lifelong learning, basic health and safety, a thriving natural environment, and belonging and civic muscle.

The women's survey was conducted in early 2025. The broader regional survey took place in June and July of the same year. Together, they gathered responses from more than 3,300 Inland residents/ Both were administered online in English through the survey research firm Dynata, a limitation the researchers acknowledge, given the region's large immigrant population.

The work was supported by UCR faculty and Randall Lewis Graduate Student Researchers in the Master of Public Policy program, who contributed to the analysis of publicly available and survey data.

"Our region has the will and now the data," Ross said. "What we need now is alignment and strategy to turn that into collective action for a thriving IE."

Header photo: A young couple sits on top of Mt. Rubidoux in Riverside, and look over the Inland Empire region of Southern California (Photo: David Danelski/UCR)