A survey of the Los Angeles Jewish community has found that the Jewish population of the region has grown by 9% since the last communal survey was done back in 1997.
The “2021 Study of Jewish LA” was conducted on behalf of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and covers an area covering more than 70 miles from Simi Valley in the north to the South Bay near Orange County.
According to the report, some 294,200 Jewish households with more than 700,000 residents reside there. Of those individuals, some 565,000 are Jewish and another 173,000 are not Jewish.
Almost 50% of the population is over 55 years of age. The number of men and women are equally split at 49% each with 1% of respondents saying they are nonbinary or another gender.
The study found diversity within the Jewish community.
For instance, 6% of respondents or 32,500 adults identified as a Jewish person of color; one-quarter of whom identify as black and 21% of whom identify as Asian. Nearly have of all Jewish people of color said they felt welcomed as part of the Jewish community in Los Angeles, while nearly 30% said it was not welcoming and almost 20% had no opinion.
Additionally, 27,000 Israelis call LA home; this number includes 16,500 who were born in Israel and another 10,500 who were born elsewhere. Some 48,000 respondents are Russian-speaking Jews, and 28,000 identified as Latino or Latina.
As many as 11,500 Persian Jewish households also live in the region. Among this population are 7,500 Jewish households that include someone born in Iran and 4,000 that include a child of someone born in Iran. There are an additional 4,000 households that include the child of someone who was born in Iran but who does not self-identify as Persian.
Other findings from the report include:
- 24% of Jewish homes have children under the age of 18, while 29% of homes are made up of couples with no children, and an equal number are single adults living on their own. The remaining 18% of Jewish homes have adults of different generations living together; this includes young adults living with their parents and middle-aged adults living in a home with their elderly parents.
- While 20% of Jewish Angelinos say they are “well off,” nearly the same number of respondents are classified as “struggling.”
- 50% of respondents do not identify with any of Judaism’s religious streams, as 27% identify with Reform, 15% with Conservative and 7% with Orthodox.
- The intermarriage rate is at 42% overall; however, it rises to 60% among adults ages 22 to 30.
