Understanding ALICE | Using the Data to Strengthen Our Work
Across Cattaraugus and Allegany counties, nonprofits are working every day to meet urgent needs, expand opportunities, and build stronger communities. But to do that work effectively – and to make the case for funding – it’s critical to understand who in our community is struggling and why. That’s where ALICE comes in.
ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. These are households earning above the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), but still not enough to afford the basic cost of living: expenses like housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, and technology.
ALICE: Neither Small, Nor Isolated
In 2023, 14% of New York households fell below the Federal Poverty Level – but that measure alone doesn’t tell the full story.
An additional 33% of households were living paycheck to paycheck, unable to consistently afford basic needs. Combined, that means 48% of households in New York were below the ALICE Threshold. These households are in every community, including ours.
In Allegany County, 35% of households were ALICE, and another 16% were living in poverty.
In Cattaraugus County, 30% of households were ALICE, and 20% were living in poverty.
Together, that means a significant portion of our neighbors – well beyond those captured in traditional poverty statistics – are making impossible choices every day: whether to pay for utilities or fix a car, whether to buy groceries or fill a prescription.
Allegany County 2023 ALICE at a Glance
Cattaraugus County 2023 ALICE at a Glance
See the data in action for yourself by heading to United For ALICE’s New York County Reports page and selecting the county for which you’d like to see more information.
Our Work as Nonprofits
For nonprofits, if we rely solely on the Federal Poverty Level to define need, we are missing a large and growing segment of the population that depends on community-based services to stay afloat. ALICE data gives us a clearer, more accurate picture of financial hardship, and a stronger foundation for decision-making.
It can help organizations:
Better demonstrate community need in grant applications
Design programs that reflect real cost-of-living challenges
Identify gaps in services for working households
Advocate for resources and policy changes with greater credibility
The United For ALICE Mission
ALICE households are the backbone of our local economy, working as child care providers, health aides, food service workers, and more. When they struggle, our entire community feels it. When they are supported, our entire community becomes stronger.
United For ALICE is working to reshape the standard measure used by nonprofit, government, business, and academic institutions to define financial insecurity – thereby changing the common vernacular from “working poor” to “ALICE.”
For more information on ALICE and how you can get involved, visit the United For ALICE website.
