A report revealed that 36% of Illinois households have incomes below the state’s cost of living.
The data was collected in a report called “ALICE in Illinois: A Financial Hardship Study.” ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.
ALICE households are those who earn more than the Federal Poverty Level, but earn less than the basic cost of living for the state.
In Illinois, 12% of households earn below the Federal Poverty Level, and another 24% are ALICE households.
Although ALICE households include people of all races and ethnicities in Illinois, black and Hispanic households are more likely to be below the ALICE threshold than white and Asian households.
The report was funded by the United Way of Illinois and was led by ALICE Project Director Dr. Stephanie Hoopes.
