ALICE: 41% of Ingham County households below the ALICE Threshold

Man stands in the rain with a yellow umbrella. Text reads: ALICE in the Crosscurrents: Covid and Financial Hardship in Michigan: Ingham County.

INGHAM COUNTY – The United Way network and research partner United for ALICE released its latest report in April, giving us our first look at ALICE data since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

ALICE is an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed — households that earn more than the Federal Poverty Level, but less than the basic cost of living for the county (the ALICE Threshold). Households below the ALICE Threshold — ALICE households plus those in poverty — can’t afford the essentials.

Pre-pandemic, there were 49,128 households in Ingham County below the ALICE Threshold. Just two years later in 2021, that number dropped to 47,422.

Ingham County and ALICE By the Numbers in 2021

  • Population: 284,034
  • Households: 115,752 (1% change from 2019)
  • Median Household Income: $57,226 (state average: $63,498)
  • Labor Force Participation Rate: 62.6% (state average: 60.9%)
  • ALICE Households: 24% (state average 26%)
  • Households in Poverty: 17% (state average 13%)

To view more Ingham County data, visit the Michigan County Reports page at https://www.unitedforalice.org/county-reports/michigan and choose Ingham in the dropdown menu.

Read the full Michigan report at https://www.unitedforalice.org/state-overview/michigan.

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