What does this measure?
The percent of households below the ALICE threshold. ALICE is an acronym for "Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed."
ALICE is designed as an improvement on the federal poverty level, which is not based on the current cost of basic household necessities and does not adjust for cost-of-living differences across the U.S. (excepting Alaska and Hawai'i).
ALICE provides a measure of households that do not earn enough to fully provide for basic household needs such as housing, food, transportation, child care, health care, and necessary technology to participate in the modern economy, such as internet access - even though many have income higher than the federal poverty level.
Why is this important?
ALICE provides a better indication than the federal poverty level of how many households and families are struggling or thriving in the current economy, painting a more accurate picture of local and regional conditions. This can aid communities and policy makers in assessing the level of support and assistance programs appropriate for households in their area.
How does our county compare?
In 2023, 40% of Lancaster County households were below the ALICE threshold, the same level as the state and Berks County and above other counties in the region. The ALICE level was higher in the City of Lancaster at 55%. The county's rate has increased from 34% in 2019.
Notes about the data
Information on the ALICE definition and methodology is available on the United for ALICE website:https://www.unitedforalice.org/methodology.
| 2010 | 2012 | 2014 | 2016 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 38% | 40% | |||||||||||||||||
| Lancaster County | 36% | 37% | 36% | 34% | 34% | 34% | 35% | 36% | 40% | ||||||||||
| Lancaster City | 55% | ||||||||||||||||||
| Lancaster County Boroughs | |||||||||||||||||||
| Lancaster County Townships | |||||||||||||||||||
| Berks County | 35% | 40% | 40% | 37% | 36% | 35% | 41% | 41% | 40% | ||||||||||
| Chester County | 28% | 33% | 34% | 32% | 26% | 25% | 30% | 29% | 29% | ||||||||||
| Cumberland County | 33% | 33% | 33% | 37% | 33% | 30% | 33% | 37% | 36% | ||||||||||
| Dauphin County | 37% | 35% | 38% | 37% | 41% | 40% | 37% | 41% | 39% | ||||||||||
| Lebanon County | 28% | 33% | 30% | 36% | 37% | 37% | 35% | 43% | 35% | ||||||||||
| York County | 27% | 33% | 32% | 32% | 32% | 30% | 38% | 34% | 35% | ||||||||||
