Research Center
ALICE In Focus Series
Children in Financial Hardship
According to the outdated Federal Poverty Level, 16% of children in the U.S. lived in poverty in 2022. Yet United For ALICE data shows that another 34% — more than twice as many — were also growing up in hardship, in households that earned above the poverty level but less than what it costs to afford the basics. These households are ALICE: Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.
The reality is that between families in poverty and those that are ALICE, half (50%) of children in the U.S. in 2022 lived in households with income below the ALICE Threshold, struggling to afford the basics of housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, technology, and taxes in their communities.
Use the Data Dashboard, Local Maps, State Briefs & Sponsors, Committees, and Resources tabs below to learn more about children experiencing financial hardship.
ALICE in Focus National ALICE Advisory Committee on Children
Members of the National Advisory Committee provided insight for the creation and presentation of materials for the ALICE in Focus: Children. Committee members represent a range of organizations including academic institutions, advocacy and public policy, early learning and child care, health, nonprofits, and other research organizations, and were invited to participate based on their expertise in issues related to children and financial hardship.