Who is ALICE?
Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed
ALICE represents individuals and households who earn just above the Federal Poverty Level but less than what it costs to make ends meet. ALICE workers often struggle to keep their own households from financial ruin while keeping our communities running.
ALICE educates our children, keeps us healthy, and makes our quality of life possible. But these low-wage jobs, often in the service sector, do not pay enough for ALICE to live on. These families are forced to make tough choices, such as deciding between quality childcare or paying the rent, which have long-term consequences for ALICE and our communities. The future success of our communities is directly tied to the financial stability of ALICE households.
2024 ALICE Reports
ALICE in the Crosscurrents: 2024 Update
In 2022, financial hardship in Wisconsin continued to be shaped by the conflicting economic forces of the pandemic, and remained substantially undercounted by official measures. These powerful crosscurrents — COVID-19, inflation, wage growth, and the expansion and expiration of pandemic public assistance — impacted how many Wisconsin households were below the ALICE Threshold of Financial Survival. Between 2021 and 2022, the number of households in poverty in Wisconsin and the number of ALICE households increased, continuing a more than decade-long trend in the growth of this population. In 2022, 35% of Wisconsin Households were below the ALICE Threshold.
Explore the Data Dashboard
ALICE households include people of all genders, ages, and races/ethnicities, across all household types. Yet, in Wisconsin in 2023 and over time, rates of financial hardship have differed substantially between groups, a result of multiple factors including systemic racism, ageism, gender discrimination, and geographic barriers that limit many families’ access to resources and opportunities for financial stability.
Counties are the core geography for ALICE data: They reveal variations often masked by statewide averages, and the data is reported regularly and reliably.
Use the interactive charts HERE to see an overview of financial hardship by county. This profile highlights key aspects of local economies, including details related to demographics, the cost of living, the labor landscape, and variation by ZIP code, Census County Subdivision, and Census Designated Place.
The Cost of Basics
To capture the reality of household costs across Wisconsin, United For ALICE provides household budgets that are tailored by location and household type.
The ALICE Household Survival Budget
The Household Survival Budget reflects the minimum cost to live and work in today’s economy and includes housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, and technology, plus taxes and a 10% miscellaneous category. This budget is the basis for determining whether households are above or below the ALICE Threshold by county.
United For ALICE calculates the cost of household essentials for each county in Wisconsin. These costs are outlined in the ALICE Household Survival Budget, and include housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, and technology, plus taxes and a 10% miscellaneous category. The Survival Budget is tailored by location, household size, and composition. Total costs are then compared to household income to determine how many households in each county don't earn enough to cover the basics.
Resources
Click on your county name to access a PDF fact sheet. You can also visit the interactive dashboard to access county-level data on demographics, household budgets and more.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition is dedicated to achieving racially and socially equitable public policy that ensures people with the lowest incomes have quality homes that are accessible and affordable in communities of their choice.
County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CHR&R), a program of the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, draws attention to why there are differences in health within and across communities. The program highlights policies and practices that can help everyone be as healthy as possible. CHR&R aims to grow a shared understanding of health, equity and the power of communities to improve health for all. This work is rooted in a long-term vision where all people and places have what they need to thrive.
ALICE Essentials Index (2024)
Tracking changes in the cost of basics, the ALICE Essentials Index has consistently outpaced the broader CPI nationwide since 2007. Costs for both measures increased at a faster pace following the COVID-19 pandemic, peaking between 2021 and 2023. During this period, the ALICE Essentials Index increased at an annual rate of 7.3% compared to 6.1% for CPI — both much faster than the annual rates from 2007 to 2010 (3.3% annual increase for the ALICE Essentials Index and 1.7% for CPI).
In Wisconsin, the ALICE Essentials Index also tended to increase faster than CPI, as shown in the figure below. And like the national trend, costs in Wisconsin increased at a faster rate following the COVID-19 pandemic (7.3% annual increase in the ALICE Essentials Index from 2021 to 2023).
ALICE Economic Viability Dashboard (2024)
There is no silver bullet for achieving financial stability. Instead, there are three pillars: Workers need jobs with livable wages, near housing they can afford, in communities that offer resources and supports. United For ALICE has developed the ALICE Economic Viability Dashboard — a mapping tool that shows at state and local levels whether the conditions in these three key areas strengthen or weaken opportunities for ALICE to reach stability. The Dashboard can help community planners, housing experts, policymakers, and business leaders design jobs and infrastructure that tackle the obstacles keeping ALICE trapped. It also zeroes in on promising practices around the country that are showing positive results.
Explore the Data Dashboard
Measuring Economic Well-Being for ALICE
The ALICE Economic Viability Dashboard reveals the economic and community conditions of people who are struggling financially — those below the ALICE Threshold. This includes people in households with income below the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) and those who are ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed), with income above the FPL but below the cost of basics.
By studying ALICE households as well as those in poverty, United For ALICE research shows the true extent of financial hardship across the country. The ALICE Economic Viability Dashboard builds on this research, exploring why so many households are struggling, with new data on ALICE work, housing, and community resources.
ALICE in Focus Series
ALICE in Focus: Veterans
On November 11, 2022, United For ALICE released the ALICE in Focus: Veterans report, showing how of the 303,536 total veterans in Wisconsin, 21% struggled to afford basics in 2019, just before the pandemic hit. The new report and interactive tools reveal that federal poverty data undercounts how many veterans in Wisconsin face financial insecurity.
ALICE in Focus: People with Disabilities
On July 26, 2022, United For ALICE released the ALICE in Focus: People with Disabilities report, showing 43% of people with disabilities in Wisconsin in financial hardship pre-pandemic. The new report and interactive tools reveal that federal poverty data undercounts how many people with disabilities in Wisconsin face financial insecurity.
ALICE in Focus: Children
On April 4, 2022, United For ALICE release the ALICE in Focus: Children report, showing 38% of Wisconsin's Children lived in financial hardship pre-pandemic. The new report and interactive tools reveal that federal poverty data undercounts how many children are growing up amid financial insecurity.
What is United For ALICE?
United For ALICE represents a grassroots movement to raise awareness about an essential but previously hidden part of our community. Through a framework of new language and measures, stakeholders can better understand and ultimately implement changes that improve the lives of ALICE. With more than 40% of households in the United States trying to manage their household with an income that falls short of covering their basic necessities, many policies and programs must be reassessed or even reconsidered. Learn more at unitedforalice.org.