the Alice project
1.6 Million Households - 41% In Michigan - struggle to afford the basics.
1 in 4 Michigan households earn
above the poverty line, but
not enough to cover the basics.
We call these folks ALICE: Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, and Employed. They are working and earning money, but what they earn still can’t cover the rising costs of the basics. As a result, they can’t save money, so their assets are limited. The ALICE Report is the most comprehensive estimate to date of what it costs to live and work in Michigan, and who can afford it.
THE UNITED WAY ALICE REPORT REVEALS THE MAGNITUDE OF FINANCIAL HARDSHIP IN MICHIGAN.
ALICE is GROWING In Michigan.
From 2019 to 2023, the population of households below the ALICE Threshold grew by over 100,000.
Persistent DISPARITIES exist ACROSS race, age, gender, and geography.
62% of Black and 44% of Hispanic households were below the ALICE Threshold in 2023, compared to 38% of White households.
The youngest (65% below ALICE) and oldest households (51% below ALICE) faced the highest rates of hardship by age.
75% of single-female-headed households with kids and 62% of single-male-headed households with kids were below the ALICE Threshold in 2023.
in 2023, 14 OF the 20 most common JOBS IN MICHIGAN PAid LESS THAN $20 PER HOUR.
This was insufficient for many of these workers’ budgets: 30% of workers in the top 20 most common occupations in Michigan lived below the ALICE Threshold.
things are not improving enough for ALICE Households.
The number of ALICE households reporting having a rainy day savings fund has decreased from 35% to 31%, compared to roughly two-thirds of households above the Threshold.
This is not a small problem. This is not a new problem. This matters to all of us.
When ALICE Thrives, our Economy and communities thrive too.
Our latest report is a call to action and a challenge to complacency. ALICE needs all of us to act to lower their essential costs, raise their incomes, and open new pathways to jobs that can sustain their families.
