LOS ANGELES- Los Angeles is considered the most economically segregated region in the country, according to a new study done at Wayne State University in Detroit. Based on the 2000 census data, more than 2/3 of LA residents live in neighborhoods that are mostly rich or mostly poor. Only 25% of the population is considered middle class.

George Galster, one of the study’s authors, said, “The situation in L.A. is certainly at the extreme of American cities.”

Based on data from the 2000 census, more than two-thirds of residents of the Los Angeles area live in neighborhoods that stand on opposite ends of the wealth spectrum, either mostly rich or mostly poor. This economic polarization is attributed largely to the presence of a great number of immigrants as well as wealthy people who work in the city’s renowned entertainment industry.

To the surprise of many, only 28% of the area’s neighborhoods are considered middle class. The Wayne State University study suggests that middle income neighborhoods are actually on the decline and are disappearing faster than expected.

Mrs. J Marcus, a resident of Marina Del Ray, did not believe that these statistics were true. “I don’t think there is any such polarization at all,” she said, “I believe that Los Angeles is very much middle class. The very rich people are the Hollywood people. They talk about millions the way we talk about dollars.”

A local UCLA law student was not as surprised by the statistics, but rather more concerned. “Los Angeles has always been considered as one of the most diverse cities in the nation. But the fact that it is so economically segregated just makes it seem less welcoming and thus, a less attractive place to be in general.”

According to the report, only the suburbs of Phoenix and Palm Beach, Florida are said to be more economically polarized than Los Angeles.