alice

41% of Westchester and Putnam households live in poverty or paycheck to paycheck, what the United Way calls “ALICE” (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed). These are often hardworking families struggling to make ends meet and provide a better life for their children. They are employed, but often don’t make enough to live in this community.

For these families, when funds run short, they are forced to make impossible choices between childcare or paying the rent… filling a prescription or fixing a car. They are waiters/waitresses, security guards, home health aides, bank tellers, retail salespeople, ride share drivers, custodial engineers, and so many others – all workers essential to keeping all our communities and economies humming, yet who struggle to pay their own basic bills.

The United Way’s 2026 ALICE Report (see below)–created by https://unitedforalice.org/home with support from https://uwnys.org/ and local United Ways like ours–shows that a Westchester family of 4 with 2 children in childcare needs more than $137,500 just to cover the basics – like rent, utilities, food, clothing, health care, etc. That’s more than 4X the Federal Poverty Level of $33,000 (for a family of four). In Putnam, that same family needs to earn $141,100. These are survival expenses mind you – food, rent, utilities, health care, transportation, technology, etc. NOT savings or vacations. NOT Netflix.

In total 31% of Westchester residents are living paycheck-to-paycheck (ALICE), while another 10% are in poverty. Since 2010, that’s a 50% increase in the number of families living paycheck-to-paycheck and a 33% increase in the number of families living in Poverty in Westchester. 

In Putnam, 34% of residents are living paycheck-to-paycheck (ALICE), while another 6% are in poverty.

The primary reason is that the costs of goods and services have far outpaced wage increases. For example, the cost of Food is up 200% over the past 10 years, while Housing Costs & Utilities are up 89% over that same time period.

To learn more about the ALICE data, see below.

The State of ALICE in New York 2026

The State of ALICE in Westchester County 2026

The State of ALICE in Putnam County 2026