2026-2030 UWGN Strategic Plan Overview Final - Flipbook - Page 4
WHO WE SERVE
ALICE IN TENNESSEE
UWMT has been reporting on ALICE data since 2019.
Households that are considered ALICE are: Asset Limited,
Income-Constrained and Employed. Despite the federal
poverty level being the nationally recognized indicator
of who is considered “poor,” the measurement doesn’t
account for the current cost of basic household necessities
and does not re昀氀 ect cost-of-living differences across the
country.
These are families or individuals whose income is above
the federal poverty level, but below the cost of basics
included in the household survival budget. ALICE is a datarich analysis that provides a more accurate representation
of functional poverty, accounting for an accurate cost to
afford necessities like housing, food, child care, health
care and transportation. This data allows us to better
understand the cost of living at county or ZIP code level, so
we can target our impact to those communities with the
highest need.
Between ALICE households and households living in
poverty, an estimated 44% of households in Tennessee
were below the ALICE Threshold in 2023 (latest data
available).
Tennessee ranked 37th among all states (with 昀椀 rst
representing lowest rate of hardship).
PERCENT BELOW ALICE THRESHOLD
0%
100%
14%
Poverty
HOUSEHOLDS IN
TENNESSEE
(2.8M Total)
56%
Above
ALICE
Threshold
30%
ALICE
1.2 Million
Below ALICE
threshold
(plus or
minus 44%)
