About the District
The 37th District
California’s 37th Congressional District is one of the most diverse districts in the United States. Home to varying groups of Hispanics, African-Americans, Caucasians, and the world’s second largest grouping of ethnic Cambodians and Samoans. The 37th Congressional District is rich with cultural, ethnic, and economic benefits and challenges. Located adjacent to the Port of Long Beach, the District is a global hub of intermodal transportation and goods movement, with nearly 45 percent of all U.S. imports traveling through its neighborhoods.
The 37th Congressional District’s yearly median income is $34,006, which is significantly lower than neighboring districts, CA-36 and CA-46, at $51,633 and $61,567 respectively.
Although the district faces high poverty and unemployment rates, the workforce here represents a valuable asset. The diversity of the district’s population mirrors the diverse workforce, which includes many educated, well trained and experienced workers.
Educational services - are a major component. Over 25,000 district residents are employed within this sector of the economy that includes three universities and two community colleges. The district includes students, teachers and staff from Compton Community College (aka El Camino College, Compton Center), California State University Dominguez Hills - which has the highest enrollment of all the schools in the Cal State system - and California State University Long Beach, The District also includes three school districts: Compton (CUSD), Long Beach and Los Angeles Unified School Districts. Last spring the producers of television network NBC’s “School Pride” chose Compton Unified School District’s (CUSD) Enterprise Middle School for a major school makeover. This was due to the school’s strong potential. The modernized facilities, classrooms, school gym, locker rooms, science lab and new reading room containing hundreds of new books, are just one of many bright spots as we work with local schools and government leaders to help “Birth a New Compton.”
Medical services - are another important sector for the area workforce employing close to 25,000 persons. There are five major medical facilities in the 37th District. The most noteworthy is Martin Luther King hospital, which is being reestablished as a state of the art hospital and medical complex with primary service areas of Compton and the Watts/Willowbrook neighborhoods of Los Angeles City and County.
Manufacturing and aircraft production - employs over 30,000 area residents. Boeing Aircraft in Long Beach produces the premiere military air transport plane in the world, the C-17 Globemaster (above).
Transportation - over 18,000 area residents are employed in the field of transportation and warehousing. The 37th District includes the Port of Long Beach, which competes annually with its neighbor the Port of Los Angeles for the title “America’s largest port." The Alameda Corridor, which runs throughout CD-37, connects these ports with Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and other counties with one of the most elaborate rail systems in the United States. Other economic generators are travel, tourism, trade, finance, arts, insurance, and entertainment. Thus, the 37th District faces both sobering challenges and boundless opportunities.