ALICE represents the 31% of West Virginians who work, but struggle to survive. ALICE stands for
Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed
ALICE earns above the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), but makes less than what’s needed to afford basic essentials. ALICE often earns too much to qualify for government assistance, and there is no room in ALICE’s budget for emergency expenses. If you combine WV households earning below the ALICE threshold, with those living below the FPL, that’s 48% of West Virginia households who face financial hardship every day, in every county across the state.
ALICE Community Snapshot for United Way of Central WV Service Area
In 2023, of West Virginia’s 726,214 households, 17% (122,054) were below the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), and another 29% (209,725) were ALICE — households with income above the FPL, but not enough to afford the ALICE Household Survival Budget for their household composition and location.
Combining these two groups, 46% (331,779) of households in West Virginia were below the ALICE Threshold
Figure 1. Forty-Six Percent of West Virginia Households Faced Financial Instability in 2023
Sources: ALICE Threshold, 2010–2023; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2023