ALICE is an acronym created by the United Way. It stands for “Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed” — a group of people who work, but still can’t make ends meet.
Every year, the United Way provides an analysis of these households along with the financial challenges they’re facing.
In New York, 35% of workers in the most common jobs, including personal aides, childcare providers, cashiers, frontline workers and home health aides, cannot afford the “basics,” which include housing, food, healthcare, transportation and childcare.
Therese Daly, president and CEO of United Way of New York State and 211 New York, told Capital Tonight that New York has among the highest levels of ALICE families in the nation.
“A friendly reminder that these individuals are working one, two, three jobs just trying to make ends meet,” she said.
When asked how policy makers might use the information found in the report, Daly recommended using ALICE when creating policy.
“It would be great for New York to consider the ALICE Poverty Index as the poverty index that we refer to, as we think it’s a little bit more accurate going forward than the federal poverty level,” Daly said. “The Consumer Price Index since 2010 has gone up 54%, but if you use the ALICE Index, it’s gone up by 79%.”
Daly reports that affordability in New York has gotten worse over the past few years. Many ALICE parents are now going without adequate food and/or healthcare in order to ensure their children’s needs are being met.
“As you know we also run 211 New York. (We’re) getting calls from first-time callers asking for food assistance or utility assistance because they just can’t meet the basic requirements to pay,” Daly said.
New York placed 49th among all states and the District of Columbia on the “hardship scale” (with one representing the lowest rate of hardship). An estimated 48% of households in New York were below the ALICE Threshold in 2024.