ALICE: Working Hard Yet Struggling to Make Ends Meet
Who is ALICE?
ALICE, the United Way Acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed, refers to:
- The growing number of individuals and families who work for low wages, lack benefits and paid time off, and often work two jobs - yet struggle to access basic health care, educational opportunities, and secure financial stability.
- Workers who exist in a gap in the social safety network, which focuses on poverty-level support
- Families living paycheck to paycheck, making difficult choices between paying bills and feeding their families.
- ALICE is one emergency away from slipping into poverty.
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"Employment growth over the last 10 years in Illinois was largely driven by low-wage jobs that could not keep up with the increase in the cost of the basic household budget."
Household Survival Budget
The bare-minimum costs of basic necessities (housing, utilities, childcare, food, transportation, health care, and a basic smartphone plan) by county.
ALICE Threshold
The average income that a household needs to afford the basic necessities defined by the Household Survival Budget. Households Below the ALICE Threshold include both ALICE and poverty-level households.
How Many Households are Struggling?
Hardship's Disproportionate Impact
Other demographic factors impact struggling families.
Kane County
- 41% Single female-headed households
- 38% Black households
- 47% Latino households
- 35% Senior Citizen households
Kendall County
- 41% Single female-headed households
- 29% Black households
- 29% Latino households
- 36% Senior Citizen households