Millions of Californians qualify for state-backed car insurance. Almost none of them know it.
A county-by-county census analysis finds that between 2.76 and 5.78 million California households meet the income bar for the state's Low Cost Automobile Insurance program. Only 66,998 are enrolled.
Published July 8, 2026 · Data through year-end 2025
Key findings
Income-eligible households
2.76M – 5.78M
20.0% – 41.9% of all California households
Active CLCA policies
66,998
Year-end 2025, CDI report to the Legislature
Enrollment rate among eligible
1.2% – 2.4%
Roughly 98% of income-eligible households are not enrolled
Annual premium
$199 – $920
Official CDI range, varies by county
The enrollment gap
The California Low Cost Automobile Insurance Program (CLCA) is a state-administered program that sells liability-only auto insurance to income-eligible drivers for $199 to $920 a year, depending on county. It is not a private insurer. It is run by the California Department of Insurance through the California Automobile Assigned Risk Plan.
At year-end 2025, CDI reported 66,998 active CLCA policies statewide. Our census analysis finds that between 2.76 million and 5.78 million California households meet the program's income threshold. Dividing enrolled policies by the income-eligible population produces an enrollment rate of roughly 1.2% to 2.4%, meaning somewhere around 98% of income-eligible California households are not using a program that could insure a car for as little as $199 a year.
The gap is not for lack of demand once people find the program. CDI logged 477,633 first-time visits to the CLCA website in 2025 and 48,395 new applications, and 77% of applicants reported being uninsured at the time they applied. Enrollment is also growing fast off a small base: active policies rose 54% in 2024 and another 45% in 2025. The trend line says awareness, not eligibility, is the binding constraint.
New applications, 2025
48,395
Renewals, 2025
32,735
Cancellations, 2025
30,575
Applicants uninsured at signup
77%
Active CLCA policies: 29,988 (2023) → 46,175 (2024, +54%) → 66,998 (2025, +45%)
Source: CDI 2025 Report to the Legislature & Consumer Education and Outreach Plan
Where are the eligible households?
Los Angeles County alone accounts for an estimated 793,653 to 1,581,164 income-eligible households, more than the total number of households in all but a handful of other California counties combined. The table below ranks the ten counties with the largest eligible populations by raw count.
| County | Total households | Est. eligible households | Est. eligible share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 3,416,449 | 793,653–1,581,164 | 23.2%–46.3% |
| San Diego | 1,171,278 | 209,332–456,359 | 17.9%–39% |
| Orange | 1,082,960 | 177,414–383,076 | 16.4%–35.4% |
| Riverside | 775,335 | 155,575–342,922 | 20.1%–44.2% |
| San Bernardino | 674,915 | 151,113–323,470 | 22.4%–47.9% |
| Sacramento | 571,057 | 118,184–255,941 | 20.7%–44.8% |
| Alameda | 598,246 | 99,368–199,682 | 16.6%–33.4% |
| Fresno | 324,702 | 90,550–176,635 | 27.9%–54.4% |
| Santa Clara | 659,353 | 80,035–169,148 | 12.1%–25.7% |
| Kern | 284,931 | 83,573–161,530 | 29.3%–56.7% |
Ranking counties by share of households, rather than raw count, tells a different story. Small rural and agricultural counties in the far north and Imperial Valley have the highest concentrations of income-eligible households in the state, several with more than a third, and by the upper-bound estimate, more than half, of all households falling inside the CLCA income band.
| County | Total households | Est. eligible households | Est. eligible share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trinity | 5,585 | 2,207–3,754 | 39.5%–67.2% |
| Siskiyou | 19,079 | 6,612–12,426 | 34.7%–65.1% |
| Imperial | 49,644 | 17,497–31,876 | 35.2%–64.2% |
| Modoc | 3,267 | 1,011–2,204 | 31%–67.5% |
| Lake | 26,940 | 9,045–17,066 | 33.6%–63.3% |
| Humboldt | 54,922 | 18,642–34,449 | 33.9%–62.7% |
| Sierra | 1,219 | 369–766 | 30.2%–62.8% |
| Merced | 86,055 | 26,457–52,036 | 30.7%–60.5% |
| Tehama | 24,788 | 7,576–14,983 | 30.6%–60.4% |
| Glenn | 9,810 | 2,934–5,843 | 29.9%–59.6% |
Statewide total (direct ACS state-level estimate): 13,797,638 households; 2,757,980 – 5,784,591 estimated eligible (20.0% – 41.9%).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates, Table B19001; QuoteMoto analysis
A rural-urban divide
Trinity County has the highest estimated eligible share in California: 39.5% to 67.2% of its 5,585 households. Modoc (31.0%–67.5%), Siskiyou (34.7%–65.1%), and Imperial (35.2%–64.2%) counties round out the top tier. These are small, low-income, and largely agricultural or timber-dependent counties in the far north and southeastern desert.
Wealthy coastal counties sit at the opposite end. San Mateo County's eligible share is 11.7% to 26.7%, and Santa Clara County's is 12.1% to 25.7%, roughly a third of Trinity's rate. The gap illustrates that CLCA eligibility tracks county-level income distribution closely, and that outreach targeted at the highest-share rural counties would likely reach a larger fraction of that county's driving population than the same outreach effort in a high-income metro county.
How we calculated this
This analysis uses the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates, Table B19001 (Household Income in the Past 12 Months), pulled for all 58 California counties and the state total.
CLCA income eligibility is set at 250% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, and that limit scales with household size. Because Table B19001 reports household income without cross-tabulating by household size at the county level, a single precise "percent eligible" figure cannot be read directly off the table. We report a range instead:
- Lower bound uses the 1-person household threshold ($39,900/yr). This undercounts eligibility among larger low-income households.
- Upper bound uses the 4-person household threshold ($82,500/yr). This overcounts eligibility among smaller households earning above their own size-adjusted limit.
Because each threshold falls inside a B19001 income bracket rather than exactly on a bracket boundary, we estimate the count of households below the threshold using linear interpolation, assuming income is evenly distributed within the bracket that straddles the threshold.
We independently hand-verified the interpolation against the raw B19001 bracket counts for three counties (Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Alpine) and confirmed the published figures match.
Limitations
- Income eligibility only. This models CLCA's income test alone, not the program's other eligibility gates (vehicle value cap, driving history, "good driver" status). Actual qualifying and enrolling households are fewer than these income-based estimates.
- Household-size mismatch. B19001 does not cross-tabulate income by household size at the county level, so the reported range brackets rather than pinpoints the true figure.
- Linear interpolation assumes an even income distribution within each bracket, which is an approximation of real-world clustering.
- ACS 5-year estimates are 2020–2024 pooled averages, not a single-year snapshot, so they lag current income conditions somewhat.
- Small counties (Alpine, Sierra, Modoc, Mono, and similar) carry wide margins of error and should be read as directional.
- This is not eligibility-determination guidance. Readers should confirm eligibility directly with the California Department of Insurance or CAARP.
What this means for drivers
CLCA provides liability-only coverage at $10,000 bodily injury per person, $20,000 per accident, and $3,000 property damage (10/20/3). Those limits are below California's standard 30/60/15 minimum, but the state waives the requirement for CLCA enrollees so that some coverage is better than none. It does not include collision, comprehensive, or uninsured motorist coverage.
| Household size | Annual income limit |
|---|---|
| 1 person | $39,900 |
| 2 people | $54,100 |
| 3 people | $68,300 |
| 4 people | $82,500 (+$11,800 per additional person) |
Drivers must be California residents, at least 16 years old, and hold a valid California driver's license or ID. New drivers are eligible. Applications are handled directly by the state at mylowcostauto.com or through a participating agent, not through QuoteMoto.
Apply at mylowcostauto.comFrequently asked questions
What is the CLCA enrollment gap?
How many California households are income-eligible for CLCA?
Why do you report a range instead of one number?
Which counties have the most eligible households?
How do I check if I qualify for CLCA?
Does QuoteMoto sell or profit from CLCA policies?
About this study
We run a California auto insurance comparison site. We built this study because we kept encountering drivers who were paying private-market rates for coverage they could get from the state for a fraction of the cost. CLCA is free to apply for and we earn nothing from it. If you don't qualify for CLCA, or need coverage beyond its liability-only limits, you can compare private rates on our site.
Compare private rates