CALHOUN 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.
The report – ALICE in the Crosscurrents: COVID and Financial Hardship – looks at national, statewide, and county-wide data to bring awareness to the segment of our population that is employed and making too much to qualify for assistance, but too little to afford the essentials.
In Calhoun County, there were 21,291 households pre-pandemic in 2019 that fell below the ALICE Threshold. Just two years later in 2021, that number had risen 6 percent to 22,503.
Calhoun County and ALICE By the Numbers in 2021
- Population: 133,819
- Households: 53,482 (-1% change from 2019)
- Median Household Income: $55,192 (state average: $63,498)
- Labor Force Participation Rate: 59.4% (state average: 60.9%)
- ALICE Households: 30% (state average 26%)
- Households in Poverty: 12% (state average 13%)
To view more Calhoun County data, visit the Michigan County Reports page at https://www.unitedforalice.org/county-reports/michigan and choose Calhoun in the dropdown menu.
Read the full Michigan report at https://www.unitedforalice.org/state-overview/michigan.
