39 percent of working Connecticut residents cannot afford essentials

The United Way of Connecticut released their ALICE Report for the year of 2023 on March 21.

ALICE stands for “Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed,” and describes either single individuals with employment living alone or a family consisting of 2 adults, an infant, and a preschooler who earn an income above the federal poverty level but still cannot afford everything they need month-to-month.

For a single adult, the ALICE determined a “Household Survival Budget” of $39,141, while a family of four with two young children needs to bring in and spend at least $126,018 to have all of their needs met.

The United Way determined that 552,710 households in Connecticut earn less than the ALICE survival budget. The report also noted that while cashier is among the most common jobs in the state, 43% of cashiers do not earn enough to lift themselves above the ALICE survival budget.

The report found that these numbers were trending downward until 2019, with the Covid pandemic coinciding with a sharp increase in the number of ALICE households. The expiration of assistance programs  which blunted the increase will likely cause a further spike despite the economy otherwise improving.

The full report can be found at this address: https://alice.ctunitedway.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/23UFA_Report_Connecticut_With-Preamble.pdf