20.9% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Thornton, CA (171 out of 817 people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Males 16 - 17 and then Males 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Thornton, CA is Hispanic, followed by Other and White.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.