Meet ALICE in the Capital Region
ALICE Household Survival Budget: Capital Region
Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.
ALICE data demonstrates poverty is not an individual shortcoming but a structural, systemic challenge. That is why United Way works both to meet immediate needs and to drive long-term solutions to create opportunities.
ALICE data shows the growing and glaring gap between what people earn and the true cost of living.
View the full ALICE report at UnitedForALICE.org/New-York
Your Support
Your support helps United Way's mission to partner with community groups, donors, and volunteers, to move closer to our vision of a thriving Capital Region, for all.
United For ALICE
The ALICE data is especially important now to help government, business, non-profit, educational, and community leaders identify those who are struggling the most in their communities, and direct programming and resources to assist them throughout the pandemic and the recovery that follows. As the country and the Capital Region move forward, this data can be used to estimate the impact of the crisis over time, providing an important baseline for changes to come.
Some groups are more likely to become ALICE
There are ALICE Households of all ages, genders, races, and ethnicities, living in urban, rural, and suburban areas. Yet, some groups represent a disproportionate percentage of those living below the ALICE threshold.
ALICE Households with Children
Children add significant expense to a family budget, so it is not surprising that many families with children live below the ALICE Threshold, especially those with a single parent. 75% of single female-headed households in the Capital Region are below the ALICE threshold.
According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, childcare is affordable if it costs no more than 7% of a family’s income. In the Capital Region, childcare for one child takes up 28% of the median family’s income. Families with two children face an even larger burden, as childcare for two children takes up 56% of the median family’s income.
ALICE Households’ Disparities by Race/Ethnicity
When we break down the ALICE data by race/ethnicity, the disparities are glaring. In the Capital Region, 66% of Black households and 55% of Hispanic households are below the ALICE threshold. Comparatively, 35% of White households are below the ALICE threshold. (New York State ALICE Report 2020).
ALICE Households’ Disparities by Age
There are ALICE households in every age bracket. The youngest (people under 25) are more likely to be in poverty, and both the youngest and the oldest (people 65 and older) are more likely to be ALICE. 48% of senior households in the Capital Region are below the ALICE threshold.