Who is ALICE?

Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed

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

Workers below the ALICE Threshold often perform the jobs that keep our economy functioning smoothly — they are child care providers, food service workers, cashiers, personal
care aides, delivery drivers, and more.

• Households below the Threshold are forced to make impossible choices — like deciding whether to pay for utilities or a car repair, whether to buy food or fill a prescription.
• 27% of Monroe County residents are ALICE compared to 14% of households that are in poverty.

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 in Monroe County.
• By 2022, 23,857 households (41%) were below the ALICE Threshold in Monroe County.
• Worker vulnerability is increasing while wages stagnate in ALICE jobs
• 65% of Pennsylvanians were paid hourly in 2023.
  • Workers who are paid by the hour are more likely to have fluctuations in income due to schedule changes and variable hours, and they are less likely to receive benefits, such as health insurance, paid time off, family leave, or retirement plans.
• Between ALICE households and households living in poverty, an estimated 40% of households in Pennsylvania were below the ALICE Threshold in 2023.
• There are nearly twice as many ALICE households as those in poverty in Monroe County.

More Information

ALICE in Monroe County

State of ALICE In Pennsylvania

ALICE Essentials Index 2025

ALICE in Pennsylvania: A Financial Hardship Study (2020 Update)

ALICE In Your District Tool