ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. These are individuals and families who work, earn above the federal poverty level, and still cannot consistently afford the essentials where they live.

Across North Carolina, ALICE includes child care workers, home health aides, retail employees, food service workers, nonprofit staff, caregivers, parents, seniors, and neighbors we see every day.

In North Carolina, the data shows a fuller picture of financial hardship:

• 42% of households live below the ALICE Threshold
• 29% are ALICE households
• 13% live below the federal poverty level
• 1.8 million+ households cannot afford the basic cost of living
• $80,232 is the annual survival budget for a family of four
• $30,336 is the annual survival budget for a single adult

ALICE households are employed, but often one unexpected expense away from crisis. A car repair, medical bill, rent increase, or missed paycheck can force impossible choices between groceries, utilities, child care, transportation, or housing.

United For ALICE uses local data and the ALICE Threshold to calculate the real cost of essentials, including housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, technology, taxes, and basic household needs.

This helps communities see what poverty data alone can miss.

United For ALICE is a national partnership of United Ways and community partners using shared data, language, and action to improve financial stability.

When ALICE households can meet their basic needs, our whole community is stronger. Children do better in school. Families are more stable. Neighborhoods are more resilient. Local economies are healthier.

United Way of Greater Charlotte has long supported households experiencing financial hardship. Many of those households are now more clearly described as ALICE.

The ALICE framework helps us use clearer language, stronger local data, and deeper empathy to show the gap between wages and the true cost of living.

Using ALICE data, United Way of Greater Charlotte can better identify where working households are struggling and where resources can make the greatest difference.

This strengthens our ability to convene partners, inform donors, support nonprofits, and invest in solutions that help families move from crisis toward stability.

Learn the ALICE data. Share the message. Challenge outdated assumptions about financial hardship. Partner with United Way of Greater Charlotte to invest in solutions that help working families afford today’s essentials and build a more secure tomorrow.