Working Hard But Struggling to Survive
1.2 million hard-working Pennsylvania households - including more than 27,300 households in Lackawanna and Wayne Counties - have incomes which exceed the federal poverty level, but are not high enough to pay for their basic needs. When you add in households that live below the federal poverty level, that's 40% of households in Lackawanna and Wayne Counties who are struggling to survive - above the state average of 37%.
The United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties is part of a state-wide data project led by the United Way of Pennsylvania called ALICE which provides a comprehensive measure of financial hardship across our state and in our community supported by groundbreaking data that goes beyond federal poverty guidelines. ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. The eye-opening data tells the story of many hard-working families and individuals in our community who are going to work - sometimes at multiple jobs - but are still struggling to survive. ALICE is our neighbors, friends and family. ALICE households are working households. They hold jobs, pay taxes, and provide services that are vital to the Pennsylvania economy, in a variety of positions, such as retail salespeople, laborers and movers, customer service representatives, and office workers.
Important Resources
- Download the ALICE in Lackawanna County Report
- Download the ALICE in Wayne County Report
- Download the full ALICE in Pennsylvania Report
- Interactive Map of ALICE in Pennsylvania
- Live the "ALICE Experience:" An online simulation of a day-in-the-life of ALICE in our community.