Who is ALICE?
Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed
ALICE is employed – as a cashier, health care worker, security guard, laborer, child care worker, and more
ALICE’s income exceeds the Federal Poverty level, but is still not enough to pay for basic needs
ALICE households are men and women, young and old, of all races and ethnicities, living in rural, urban, and suburban areas
ALICE lives in every community across Pennsylvania and in Monroe County
43% of Monroe County residents are ALICE
What causes an increase in ALICE households?
Stagnant wages
Widening income inequality
Overall employment growth driven by an increase in jobs that pay wages that cannot keep up with the increased costs of a basic household budget
Critical Trends
Cost of living is increasing for ALICE households
The ALICE Essentials Index rose 3.4% annually nationwide, while inflation rose 1.8%
Worker vulnerability is increasing while wages stagnate in ALICE jobs
A record 56% of Pennsylvanians were paid hourly in 2018
58% of jobs statewide paid less than $20 per hour
The hourly wage needed to rent a 2 bedroom apartment in Monroe County is $21.10
Number of ALICE households is increasing
There are more than twice as many ALICE households as those in poverty
Next Steps for ALICE
Quantifying the financial contributions of ALICE and poverty-level households to the state economy
If all households earned enough to meet basic needs, not only would each family’s hardship be eased, but the state economy would also grow by 17%
More Information
COVID-19 Impact on Pennsylvania: The ALICE Story; One Year Later
ALICE in Pennsylvania: A Financial Hardship Study (2020 Update)
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