ALICE Report shows many Wisconsin households cannot afford basic needs

NORTHEAST WIS. AND MICH. – The latest data from United For ALICE, released in partnership with United Way of Wisconsin, reveals that 35% of households in Wisconsin are living beneath the ALICE (Asset-Limited, Income Constrained and Employed) threshold, meaning they cannot afford the basic costs of living.

The latest State of ALICE report reveals that traditional measures of poverty have severely undercounted the number of Wisconsin households that are living with financial hardship. The ALICE Report goes beyond traditional poverty measures to reflect the true costs of living in Wisconsin.

While the report states that 11% of Wisconsin households (269,822 households) live beneath the federal poverty line, the new research demonstrates that 24% (603,981 households, or more than twice as many) were beneath the ALICE threshold, earning above the poverty level but still unable to cover basic needs.

When combined, the data reveals that 35% of all households in Wisconsin are experiencing financial hardship.

This rate was lower than the national average of 41% and placed Wisconsin as the state experiencing hardship at the seventh-lowest rate. However, this still leaves many families unable to cover their basic needs.

According to the American Community Survey conducted in 2024, Marinette County had a population of 42,046 represented by 19,051 households. The median household income was $63,809, which was below the state average of $77,488. Additionally, the labor force participation rate was 57%, also below the state average of 65%.

Marinette County was just above the state average with 11% of households below the federal poverty line and 24% beneath the ALICE threshold for a total of (using rounded values) 36% of households experiencing financial hardships.

In Oconto County, the data covered a population of 39,589 with a labor force participation rate of 61% and 16,811 households.

The county came in slightly below the state average, with 9% of households below the federal poverty line and 23% beneath the ALICE threshold for a total of (using rounded values) 33% of households experiencing financial hardships.

“There are households below the ALICE Threshold across demographic groups living in every state and county in the U.S. These households play a vital role in their communities as neighbors, family members, and civic participants, and they contribute to their local economies as workers, consumers and taxpayers,” the United for Alice 2026 “Update on Financial Hardship” stated.

In addition to identifying households with financial setbacks, the report established a Household Survival Budget.

“The Household Survival Budget reflects the minimum cost to live and work in the current economy and includes housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, technology, and taxes. It does not include savings for emergencies or future goals like college or retirement,” the report read.

“In 2024, household costs in every county in Wisconsin were well above the federal poverty level of $15,060 for a single adult and $31,200 for a family of four.”

In Marinette County, the annual household cost for a single adult was $28,128 and for a family of four ranged from $65,796 to $83,976 depending on child care necessities. In Oconto County, the single adult household cost was $28,176 and for a family of four it ranged from $68,784 to $87,264.

“Behind these numbers are families making impossible choices every day — between groceries and utilities, childcare and rent,” said Charlene Mouille, United Way of Wisconsin CEO.

In Michigan, the state average is 13% of households living below the poverty line and 26% below the ALICE threshold. Menominee County, Mich., experienced 14% of households below the poverty line and 30% below the ALICE threshold for a total of 44% of households unable to afford basic living expenses.

ALICE households were found in every major industry across Wisconsin, with the highest levels of hardship experienced by those working in accommodation and food services.

Hardship was also identified amongst minimum wage workers in Wisconsin, which have seen no hourly pay rise since 2009. For one full-time adult worker with one school-age child the minimum wage was not enough to support the minimum cost of survival in any county across the state.

“Local United Ways across Wisconsin use ALICE data to help guide their programs and investment strategies so that communities are equipped to respond to the conditions preventing families from maintaining household stability,” Mouille said.

“We invite state and local leaders to read the ALICE Report and work with your local United Way to help ensure that every Wisconsinite has the opportunity not to just survive, but to thrive,” Mouille stated.

Tri-County United Way is one local United Way that serves families in Oconto, Marinette and Menominee, Mich.

Their website states, “Our mission is to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities. From advancing healthy community, youth opportunity, and financial security to strengthening local resiliency, Tri-County United Way mobilizes communities to action so all may thrive.”

For more information on the ALICE Report, visit www.unitedforalice.org/. To connect with Tri-County United Way, go online to www.tcunitedway.org/, call (715) 735-7785 or stop by their location at 880 Frontage Rd., Ste F, Peshtigo.