Who Is ALICE?

United for ALICE

The greatest asset for the growth of McLean County is an invested community with an understanding of the challenges facing Bloomington-Normal residents and how those compare to the State of Illinois and the United States. While our community has certain advantages, there is, like most states in the United States, a growing disparity in wealth in McLean County.

That’s where United for ALICE helps. It shines a light on the challenges ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) households face to find collaborative solutions. Through a standardized methodology that assesses the cost of living in every county, this project provides a comprehensive measure of financial hardship across the United States. Equipped with this data, ALICE partners convene, advocate, and innovate in their local communities to highlight the issues faced by ALICE households and to generate solutions that promote financial stability.

LEARN ABOUT ALICE

Who is ALICE?

ALICE is the acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed, a United Way description for those in our community who face dire circumstances and great financial hardship.

Poverty is trending… the wrong way.

Despite low national inflation during the recent economic recovery (22 percent from 2007 to 2017), the bare minimum Household Survival Budget in Illinois increased by 38 percent for a family and 27 percent for a single adult. Affording only a very modest living, this budget is still significantly more than the Federal Poverty Level of $24,600 for a family of four and $12,060 for a single adult.

McLean County has seen a similar trend in poverty rates. Despite seeing the overall median household income increase from $61,576 in 2010 to 65,146 in 2017, the poverty rate has also continued to increase from 11 percent to 18 percent.

In some ways, the state of Illinois and McLean County are experiencing the same economic trends, but there are differences that highlight specific issues in McLean County. While the average median income is higher for the county than the state, McLean County is experiencing an average 18 percent poverty rate while the state of Illinois average is only 12 percent. Additionally, the unemployment rate is 2.8 percent in McLean County and 6.1 percent in the state. On average, living in McLean County is more expensive than state averages, which can contribute to the problems we see and experience.

Learn more about budgets and costs in Illinois and McLean County in the tables below.

Household Survival Budget, Illinois Average, 2017

Household Survival Budget, Mclean County Average, 2017