We all know people who are ALICE — Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. ALICE workers educate our children, keep us healthy, and make our quality of life possible, yet do not earn enough to support their own families. ALICE households are forced to make tough choices, such as deciding between quality child care or paying the rent, which have long-term consequences not only for ALICE, but for all.
The pandemic has disrupted long-term patterns in how and where people live, work, study, save, and spend their time. And the story of ALICE and the pandemic is still unfolding as this Report is being written, amid an ongoing health crisis and an economic and public policy landscape that continues to shift.
In 2021, the FPL(Federal Poverty Line) was $26,500 for a family of four. In contrast, the average cost of living for a family of four in Mississippi was $58,668, considerably higher than the FPL, and average household costs for a single adult were also substantially higher. Increases were mitigated by child tax credits in 2021 for families with children. 20% of Mississippi households were in poverty and 52% of households fell below the ALICE threshold.
80% of the households in Claiborne County live below the ALICE threshold.
68% of the households in Issaquena County live below the ALICE threshold.
59% of the households in Sharkey County live below the ALICE threshold.
48% of the households in Warren County live below the ALICE threshold.
67% of the households in Yazoo County live below the ALICE threshold.
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ALICE in the news:
The Vicksburg Post, "ALICE in the Crosscurrents: 5% More Mississippi Households Financially Insecure Since Start of Pandemic" (April 26, 2023).