NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. – Across Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties, more than one in three households are working hard but still falling short of financial stability.
New data from Trident United Way and its research partner United For ALICE® shows that 129,589 Tri-County households, or 37%, lived below the ALICE Threshold in 2024. These households include families living in poverty as well as ALICE® (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) households.
ALICE households earn above the federal poverty level but not enough to afford the basics in the county where they live. In the Tri-County, 35,822 households lived in poverty in 2024, while another 93,767 were ALICE.
Together, these numbers show why poverty alone does not capture the full scope of financial hardship. Many families are working full time, part time or multiple jobs, yet still cannot cover essentials like housing, child care, food, transportation and health care. In 2024, about 6 in 10 employed South Carolinians relied on hourly wages from one or more jobs, including part-time and gig work, making stability harder to build and easier to disrupt.
That workforce reality is especially clear in a Tri-County region powered by hospitality and tourism. Statewide, 43% of workers in the accommodation and food services sector lived in households below the ALICE Threshold in 2024, reinforcing that hard work does not always guarantee stability.
A Tri-County family of four with two children in child care needs to earn $91,344 a year, or $7,612 a month, just to cover the basics. The figure does not include debt payments, savings, emergency expenses or anything beyond the essentials.
“These are not abstract numbers. These are families in our community who are working hard, raising children, caring for loved ones and keeping our region moving, yet still one unexpected expense away from crisis,” said DJ Hampton, President and CEO of Trident United Way. “The data may shift slightly from year to year, but the reality has not changed. Far too many families are doing everything right and still cannot get ahead. That is why Trident United Way is focused on walking alongside families with coaching, resources and coordinated support that help them move from surviving to stable.”
The report also reveals that in 2024:
- In Berkeley County, the number of ALICE households has nearly doubled since 2010, rising from 15,954 to 29,863 households. As the county grows, more working families are struggling to keep pace with the cost of basics.
- In Charleston County, higher incomes have not erased hardship. Median household income rose to $93,911 in 2024, yet ALICE households increased from 43,777 in 2023 to 44,218 in 2024, showing that costs continue to outpace what many households earn.
- In Dorchester County, 38% of households fell below the ALICE Threshold in 2024, but hardship was much higher in some communities. In Ridgeville and St. George, 71% and 75% of households, respectively, lived below the Threshold.
The report also shows that some households face a steeper climb to stability. Across the Tri-County, 75% of single-female-headed households with children fell below the ALICE Threshold, the highest hardship rate of any household type in the region.
Households headed by someone ages 18 to 25 and households headed by someone age 65 or older also faced significant barriers to stability. Across the Tri-County, 67.3% of households headed by someone ages 18 to 25 fell below the ALICE Threshold. 47.8% of households headed by someone age 65 or older were also below the Threshold.
“The ALICE research shows that the affordability crisis is not new,” said Stephanie Hoopes, Ph.D., National Director at United For ALICE. “Already stretched thin, ALICE families have no cushion for rising gas or utility costs, forcing tough trade-offs with other necessities. That’s the insight policymakers and community leaders need to build a stronger future for ALICE and all.”
For Trident United Way, the data is a call to keep moving from awareness to action and to redefine poverty through the ALICE Threshold. The organization’s bold community goal is to uplift 15,000 families out of poverty by 2035.
Through Family Coaching, Trident United Way works one-on-one with families to set goals, increase income, decrease debt, build credit and connect to resources. Families can meet with a Family Coach at one of Trident United Way’s four Centers for Strong Families, virtually or through Thrive@ access points in workplaces, schools, housing communities and places of worship.
To learn more about ALICE and Trident United Way’s work to help families build lasting stability, visit TUW.org/ALICE.
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ABOUT TRIDENT UNITED WAY
For more than 80 years, Trident United Way has been a trusted partner in building a stronger future for Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties. With a bold goal to uplift 15,000 families out of poverty by 2035, we lead collaborative solutions that increase income, reduce debt and open pathways to opportunity for local families, creating lasting impact for generations to come.
ABOUT UNITED FOR ALICE
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 41 states and the District of Columbia and includes United Ways, corporations, nonprofits and foundations in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawai‘i, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Washington, D.C., West Virginia and Wisconsin; we are United For ALICE. For more information, visit: UnitedForALICE.org.