ALICE is an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. ALICE households earn more than the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), but less than the state’s basic cost of living. The report calls this the ALICE Threshold. In total, 600,626 of Wisconsin households (~26%) are ALICE, while another 271,935 (~12%) earn below the FPL.
Thirty-eight percent of Wisconsin’s 2.3 million households struggle to afford basic needs like housing, childcare, food and transportation. The staggering number comes from the second United Way ALICE Report, prepared by United Way of Wisconsin in conjunction with local United Ways across the state.
The ALICE report contains detailed information, by county and municipality. Check out the Marathon County page in the full report to learn more about ALICE households in our local community.
2018 ALICE Executive Summary Report
2016 ALICE Report (revised July 2018)
Marathon County pages from ALICE Report (2018)
Fifteen states currently participate in the United Way ALICE Project. In 2017, a nationwide report titled The Consequences of Insufficient Income Report was released. This is an in-depth examination of choices and risks ALICE families face, and the consequences of those decisions. When ALICE families don’t earn enough to support their family, they face tough choices that have significant risks and costs for their family as well as the wider community.
