ALICE represents the Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed families and individuals who live and work in the Tri-County.
ALICE families make more than the Federal Poverty Level but fall below the ALICE Threshold. That threshold is an income at which individuals and families are able to afford their basic needs. The ALICE Threshold is based on budgets that include costs for everyday essentials like housing, transportation, food and child care.
You may already know ALICE as a friend, a neighbor, a child's daycare teacher, a restuarant server or a receptionist at a doctor's office. In the Tri-County community, 4 of out of 10 households fall below the ALICE threshold.
Although fully employed with essential jobs that keep our communities running, ALICE workers don't earn enough to cover the rising costs of living, leaving them and their families perpetually teetering on the edge of poverty.
Nearly 128,000 households (40%) live below the ALICE threshold
Federal Poverty Level 4-person household under $30,000 annual income
Estimated Survival Budget 4-person household under $60,000 annual income
Above the ALICE Threshold 4-person household over $60,000 annual income
Source: State-Level Details, ALICE Report, 2021
How Trident United Way is helping ALICE
Trident United Way is paving the way to financial stability for ALICE individuals and families. With our expansive network of nonprofit partners, volunteers and donors, we connect ALICE to immediate support and assistance programs that open opportunities for longterm change.
Key Terms
Household Survival Budget: The bare-minimum costs of basic necessities (housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, and a smartphone plan).
ALICE Threshold: The average income needed to afford the Household Survival Budget. Households below the ALICE Threshold include both ALICE and poverty-level households.
ALICE: Households with income above the Federal Poverty Level but below the basic cost of living.
Poverty: Households earning below the Federal Poverty Level
Total Households: The number of households as reported by the American Community Survey.
Are you ALICE?
If you are an ALICE family, or you know someone who is, Trident United Way has resources that can offer support or you can connect with the 2-1-1 Helpline, which provides information about and referral to health and human service resources. The service is available 24/7, 365 days per year. It is FREE and CONFIDENTIAL.
Informed for ALICE
Local media stories highlighting ALICE families in our community
The Post and Courier: Priced Out
Trident United Way President & CEO speaks about ALICE and State of Our Families
Learn more about the ALICE experience
Think child care is hard to find now? Wait a couple of months.
Netflix: Maid based on Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive
The Scarcity Trap: Why We Keep Digging When We're Stuck In A Hole
The full 2023 South Carolina ALICE report will be released in the fall. Please check back for updates, and follow us on social media.
Learn more about ALICE at unitedforALICE.org.
Interested in learning more about ALICE and how you can make an impact?
Complete the form below and someone from the Trident United Way team will connect with you.
United For ALICE is a U.S. research organization driving innovation, research and action to improve life across the country for ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) and for all. Through the development of the ALICE measurements, a comprehensive, unbiased picture of financial hardship has emerged. Harnessing this data and research on the mismatch between low-paying jobs and the cost of survival, ALICE partners convene, advocate and collaborate on solutions that promote financial stability at local, state and national levels. This grassroots ALICE movement, led by United Way of Northern New Jersey, has spread to 28 states and includes United Ways, corporations, nonprofits and foundations in Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawai‘i, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Washington, D.C., West Virginia and Wisconsin; we are United For ALICE. For more information, visit: UnitedForALICE.org.
ALICE is a registered trademark of the United Way of Northern New Jersey.