December 9, 2020 – The United Way of Illinois has released it’s 2020 ALICE Report for the state and it shows the number of ALICE families and those living below the Federal Poverty Level is not improving.
ALICE is an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. ALICE families earn above the Federal Poverty Level, but not enough to afford a bare-bones household budget.
The 2020 ALICE Report is based on 2018 data and showed a 2 percent increase statewide in Illinois families living below survival budgets. It also revealed troubling trends that expose ALICE workers to a greater financial risk – growth in the number of low-wage jobs, minimal increases in wages, more fluctuations in job hours and schedules, and benefits that make it harder to budget and plan.
The 2020 report shows that in Macon County, 34 percent of households are living below the ALICE survival threshold, with 16 percent living in poverty. 15,180 Macon County households are making tough financial choices every day. In 2017, 36 percent of Macon County households were below the ALICE survival threshold, while only 14 percent were living in poverty. So while the percentage of ALICE families decreased year-over-year, unfortunately, more families slipped into poverty.
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our communities in a multitude of ways, however, that hard data is not yet available.
For the full report, click here.
