While HCCC has many one-stop counterparts in LA County, none have quite the same set of challenges faced by our organization and the cities in our immediate area. The population density of our area is 15,512 persons per square mile, which is approximately 637% more dense than the Los Angeles County average and well over 7000% that of the State of California. As a whole, HCCC's, population is younger than in LA County or California, with 43% being younger than 20 years of age. In contrast the population of those less than 24 years of age in LA County and the State of California are just 35% and 35.9% respectively. One contributing factor and area of concern in the fact that one in seven young women in our region will give birth before turning twenty.

Among the most severe challenges facing our local communities is the overall low level of educational attainment. The attrition rate for high school students in our high school district ranges from 54% to 36%.

Reflecting our population's low educational attainment levels, the per capita income of our area is just $9,140. Our income levels are 65% lower than the average in Los Angeles County and 68% lower than the State of California. We recognize that improvements in our area's per capita income cannot be expected until the level of educational attainment improves significantly.