The State of ALICE in Westchester & Putnam
| The 2025 ALICE Report shows that as costs increase, the number of people struggling to get by hits record numbers. |
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| United Way of Westchester and Putnam and its research partner United For ALICE, released the State of ALICE report for both Westchester and Putnam Counties. The report reveals that traditional measures of poverty have severely undercounted the number of households countywide that are living in financial hardship. ALICE households (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) bring in less than the basic costs of housing, childcare, food, transportation, health care and technology, plus taxes. Yet because their income is above the Federal Poverty Level, they often don’t qualify for assistance. The State of ALICE in Westchester County: –38% of Westchester’s households, totaling 144,612, fell below the ALICE Threshold of Financial Survival in 2023, up 2% or 10,581 households in 2022. -In 2023, a family of four with children in childcare in Westchester needed $131,316 just to cover the essentials – more than four times the Federal Poverty Level of $30,000. Yet even with both parents working full time in two of the state’s most common jobs – a personal care aide and a stock worker/order filler – this family’s combined income still fell short of the cost of basics by $57,436. -75% of the youngest and 47% of the oldest households in Westchester fall below the ALICE Threshold, compared with 38% of households headed by someone age 25-44. –Black and Hispanic households are 53% and 52% likely to be below the ALICE Threshold as compared to 30% of white households. |
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The State of ALICE in Putnam County: –38% of Putnam’s households, totaling 13,091, fell below the ALICE Threshold of Financial Survival in 2023, up 2% from 2022. -In 2023, a family of four with children in childcare in Putnam needed $135,660 just to cover the essentials – more than four times the Federal Poverty Level of $30,000. Yet even with both parents working full time in two of the state’s most common jobs – a personal care aide and a stock worker/order filler – this family’s combined income still fell short of the cost of basics by $61,780. -79% of the youngest and 51% of the oldest households in Putnam falling below the ALICE Threshold, compared with 28% of households headed by someone age 25-44. –Single parent households, 68% for female-led, and 67% for male-led, were more likely to be below the ALICE Threshold than married families with children. “Entire families and essential workers can’t make ends meet and are being overlooked for support. When we underestimate how many households are struggling, we underestimate what it truly takes to build thriving communities,” said Tom Gabriel, President and CEO of the United Way of Westchester and Putnam. “This means too many are left without the resources they need to stay healthy, achieve financial stability and reach their fullest potential. That’s a loss not just for ALICE families, but for all of us. We cannot continue to ignore this problem when Westchester residents are struggling in an economy that simply isn’t working for them.” |
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| A copy of the latest The State of ALICE in Westchester is available on the United Way of Westchester and Putnam website at www.uwwp.org/alice. More state and local data is available through the interactive dashboards on https://www.unitedforalice.org/introducing-ALICE/new-york. |