How is L.A. different from rest of U.S.? Let us count the ways

Boeing's decision to scrap the C-17 program is an inflection point not only for aerospace in Southern California, but for the general state of the working class. As we pointed out earlier this week, the loss of factory jobs has made it harder for many folks to move up the income ladder. (Author D.J. Waldie discusses the changes with Larry Mantle on KPCC's "AirTalk.") Coincidental to the Boeing announcement was the release of 2012 demographic data from the Census Bureau. Many of the categories for the L.A. metro area are largely unchanged from a year earlier, but the comparison with the rest of the U.S. (in parenthesis) is striking:

--Median income: $57,271, down from $57,745 in 2011 (Across all U.S. metro areas, $53,607)

--Number of people in poverty: 17.6 percent, up from 17 percent in 2011 (15.5 percent)

--Percentage of population lacking health care: 20.9 percent, down from 21.2 percent in 2011 (14.7 percent)

--Percentage of people 25 and older who completed high school: 78.8 percent, up from 78.1 percent in 2011 (86.3 percent)

--Percentage of people 25 and older with bachelor's degree or higher: 31.8 percent, up from 31.0 percent in 2011 (31.2 percent)

--Median value for an owner-occupied home: $428,500, down from $439,200 in 2011 ($191,000)

--Median gross rent (rent plus utilities): $1,233, down from $1,236 in 2011 ($925)

--Percentage of population foreign born: 33.9 percent, down from 34.1 percent in 2011 (14.8 percent)