New ALICE Report Reveals One-Third of Workers Struggle to Get By

New ALICE Report Reveals: Millions of Northwest Workers Can’t Afford Basic Needs — Even While Working Full Time

In communities across Pacific Northwest, the people who care for our loved ones, prepare our food, stock our shelves, and clean our schools are living on the edge — not because they aren't working, but because they aren’t earning enough and still falling short. The State of ALICE, a new report released by United Ways of the Pacific Northwest and its research partner United For ALICE, reveals that nearly 4 in 10 households across Washington, Oregon, and Idaho are unable to afford the essentials of daily life: housing, food, child care, transportation, health care, and technology - even though many earned too much to qualify for public assistance.

This growing group, known as ALICE® (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed), represents the hidden face of financial hardship who are essential workers that we rely on every day. While the average rate of poverty across Washington, Oregon, and Idaho was 10.7%, another 30% were ALICE, showing that traditional poverty measures undercount millions of families struggling to get by every day. Each new day brings a new impossible choice for ALICE families, mired in a constant battle to make ends meet. Do I pay my heating bill or buy food for my family? Pay for child care or work reduced hours to stay home with my child?

“When we underestimate how many households are struggling, we fail to grasp the true essence of building thriving communities," said Jim Cooper, President & CEO of United Ways of the Pacific Northwest. "This means entire families and essential workers may be overlooked for support, deprived of the resources they need to maintain their health, achieve financial stability, and reach their fullest potential. This isn't just a loss for ALICE, but for all of us.”

The Cost of Survival Is Outpacing Wages

In 2023, a family of four in the Pacific Northwest needed an average of $92,700 annually just to cover the basics, more than three times the Federal Poverty level of $30,000. Even with both adults working full time in two of our regions most common jobs (personal care aide and stock worker/order filler), they still fell short of affording basic needs by an average of $17,300. In Washington, that family needed $109,500 just to cover the essentials. For a family of four in Oregon, the annual income needed to survive is $388,560 and in Idaho, it's $80,124. The cost of basics keeps rising, but wages are not keeping up.

The new ALICE report also highlights how structural inequities make the burden heavier for certain groups:

For single-female-headed-households with children across the Pacific Northwest, 74% lived below the ALICE threshold
For households under 25 years, an average of 68% were ALICE and for those 65+, 50% lived below the ALICE threshold

Rates of financial hardship also differed substantially by race/ethnicity in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho:

In Washington, the largest number of households below the ALICE Threshold were White (792,361), making up 37% of all White households. Hispanic households were the next largest group below the Threshold (148,623), yet they made up 50% of all Hispanic households. There were also a notable 112,777 households below the Threshold headed by someone of Two or More Races, making up 43% of all households in that group. Black households had one of the smallest groups below the Threshold by number (62,323), but they made up 54% of all Black households — the highest rate of any group.
In Oregon, the largest number of ALICE households were White (555,396), making up 41% of all White households. Hispanic households were the next largest group below the Threshold (83,522), yet they made up 50% of all Hispanic households. 67,751 households below the Threshold headed by someone of Two or More Races, making up 47% of all households in that group. Black households had one of the smallest groups below the Threshold by number (18,543), but they made up 61% of all Black households — the highest rate of any group.
In Idaho, the largest number of households below the ALICE Threshold were White (239,150), making up 40% of all White households. Hispanic households were the next largest group below the Threshold (33,766), yet they made up 50% of all Hispanic households. There were also 20,990 households below the Threshold headed by someone of Two or More Races, making up 47% of all households of Two or More Races. Other, smaller groups had the highest rates of hardship: 58% of American Indian/Alaska Native households, 57% of Black households, and 55% of Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander households were below the Threshold. Asian households, along with White households, had the lowest rate (40%).

Why this Data Matters

Behind every data point is a family working hard but falling short — not because of poor choices, but because of a broken system where wages haven’t kept pace with the real cost of living. When these families can’t thrive, entire communities are held back. Understanding and addressing the needs of ALICE households is essential to creating a more equitable and resilient Pacific Northwest.

“ALICE families are especially vulnerable during natural disasters and times of economic uncertainty and yet often feel unseen or left behind,” said Stephanie Hoopes, Ph.D., National Director at United For ALICE. “By providing a name and a way to quantify these households, we’re equipping communities with the data to build solutions that offer better choices and real pathways to stability.”

More state and local data is available through the interactive dashboards on https://unitedforalice.org/home.

Do you like this page?