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Thousands of fast food workers in Los Angeles County are experiencing homelessness, according to a new economic study released Tuesday morning.
Researchers with the Economic Roundtable, an L.A.-based nonprofit, estimate there are 3,595 unhoused fast food workers in L.A. County, and 10,120 across the state.
“We have people who are trying to support themselves through work and be able to pay rent, and they work in a very profitable industry,” said Economic Roundtable president and study co-author Daniel Flaming. “But their job does not enable them to remain housed.”
Flaming said the study’s data analysis, which he believes provides a conservative estimate, results in figures estimating that the fast food industry employs 11% of unhoused workers across California and 9% of unhoused workers in L.A. County.
The study is based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau, which does not directly report information about unhoused workers in the fast food industry. Instead, the authors applied a series of filters to Census data about restaurant workers who are not living in standard housing.
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