Chapter 9: Cities

The Los Angeles Metropolitan area is home to 12.9 million people, who are from all over the globe and speak over 224 different languages. The economy is driven by international trade such as entertainment, aerospace, technology, petroleum, fashion, and tourism. 6 fortune 500 companies call the metropolitan area their home, as it is a place where companies can escape the taxes of the city. The county's population is made up of people with all sorts of different etnic backgrounds, but the major groups are: 29.7% of the population is White/non-Hispanic, 46.5% Hispanic, 8.24% African American, and 10% Asian. The two major languages spoken are English with 42.2% and Spanish with 41.7. The median income per household is $36,687 and approximately 22.1% of the population lives under the poverty line.