• The number of households that live above the poverty line but are barely scrapping by is ticking higher.
• Currently, nearly 40 million families are defined as ALICE, which stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.
• High inflation and higher interest rates have taken a hefty toll, and there is little relief in sight.

Over time, higher costs and sluggish wage growth have left more Americans financially vulnerable, with many known as “ALICEs.”

Nearly 40 million families, or 29% of the population, fall in the category of ALICE — Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed — according to United Way’s United for ALICE program, which first coined the term to refer to households earning above the poverty line but less than what’s needed to get by.

That figure doesn’t include the 37.9 million Americans who live in poverty, comprising 11.5% of the total population, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. 

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“ALICE is the nation’s child-care […]