ALICE Report in Texas
ALICE is across all demographics.
With the introduction of ALICE, many people will recognize their friends, neighbors, family members and possibly see themselves in the report. Understanding what it takes to live in our state is critical to the process of tackling the causes. #MeetTXALICE
The 2024 Texas ALICE Report is a resource that can be used in various ways and is now available to the public.
Click to see summaries of the ALICE Report for our local community: greater Baytown and Chambers County.
Walk in ALICE's shoes
Take the Making Choices Digital Simulation to experience some of the tough choices that ALICE families have to make every single day.
ASSET LIMITED INCOME CONSTRAINED EMPLOYED 
ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed, and represents the growing number of individuals and families who are working, but are unable to afford the basic necessities of housing, food, child care, health care, and transportation.
Through a series of new, standardized measurements, United Way is quantifying the size of the workforce in each state that is struggling financially, and the reasons why. These measurements provide a broader picture of financial insecurity than traditional federal poverty guidelines.
ALICE workers are essential to the fabric of our society. ALICE works in jobs that are integral to our communities, from child care educators and home health aides to mechanics – all workers we rely on every day. The future success of our communities is directly tied to the financial stability of ALICE households.
United Ways of Texas and the United Way of Greater Houston have partnered to bring ALICE to Texas.
#MeetTXALICE
Click on the following links to view older reports:
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Natural and human-made disasters will continue to impact ALICE households disproportionately.
Across Texas, the increasing impact of these incidents - from floods and hurricanes to pandemics - is felt most acutely by ALICE households and their surrounding communities.
With minimal job security and little or no savings, ALICE families feel the impact of an economic disruption almost immediately. ALICE households are more vulnerable during natural disasters as they often live in communities with fewer resources.
With no financial cushion, ALICE workers struggle to repair damage, recover from illness, and pay ongoing bills.
At the same time, ALICE workers are essential to disaster recovery efforts in both infrastructure repair and health care, and they are often forced to choose between caring for their families and ensuring community recovery.
Household Survival Budgets
The Household Survival Budget reflects the bare minimum that a household needs to live and work today – significantly more than the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) of $13,590 for a single adult and $27,750 for a family of 4.
This budget is an estimate of the minimal total cost of household essentials: housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, and technology.
It does not include savings for emergencies, auto repairs, cable service, travel, laundry costs, or future goals like college.
The actual cost of household basics in every county in Texas is well above the FPL for all household sizes and types.
Public assistance programs are based on the FPL, but the average Household Survival Budget in Texas for 2022 was $26,268 per year for a single adult.
The gaps are even larger for households with multiple family members.