ALICE

In Westchester and Putnam counties, 4-out-of-10 households are living paycheck-to-paycheck or in poverty. They are considered the ALICE population.

ALICE is an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed – households that earn more than the Federal Poverty Level, but less than the basic cost of living for the county (the ALICE Threshold). Combined, the number of ALICE and poverty-level households equals the total population struggling to afford basic needs. The number of households below the ALICE Threshold changes over time; households move in and out of poverty and ALICE status as their circumstances improve or worsen. The recovery, which started in 2010, has been uneven across New York State. Conditions have improved for some families, but with rising costs, many still find themselves struggling.

PDF of ALICE statistics for Westchester County

PDF of ALICE statistics for Putnam County   

PDF of ALICE in Focus on Children

PDF of ALICE in Focus on Individuals with Disabilities

PDF of ALICE in Focus on Veterans

A single person in Putnam County must earn $42,636 a year just to survive with the bare minimum. A single person in Westchester County needs to earn at least  $27,321.

Compare the monthly survival budgets for a single  person

A family of four with two children in child care must earn $109,236 in Putnam and $78,156 in Westchester just to survive with the bare minimums.

See how that compares to the state survival budget and the federal poverty level

Do you think you could manage your finances if you earned a survival level income?

Try our financial simulator at http://uwwp.makingtoughchoices.org/