People Struggling in Record Numbers in Putnam & West.

In 2023, the amount of households struggling to make ends meet reached a record number, according to new data from United Way of Westchester & Putnam and its research partner United For ALICE.

The “State of ALICE in Putnam” reveals that traditional measures of poverty have severely undercounted the number of households countywide that are living in financial hardship.

While 6 percent of all households in the county lived in poverty in 2023, the new research shows that 32 percent – more than five times as many – were considered “ALICE” (asset limited, income constrained, employed). Combined, 38 percent of Putnam’s households, totaling 13,091, fell below the ALICE threshold of financial survival in 2023, up 2 percent from 2022.

It is the largest number of households falling below the ALICE threshold since the study began in 2010.

ALICE households bring in less than the basic costs of housing, childcare, food, transportation, health care, and technology, plus taxes. Yet, because their income is above the federal poverty level, they often don’t qualify for assistance.

“Entire families and essential workers can’t make ends meet and are being overlooked for support,” said Tom Gabriel, president and CEO of the United Way of Westchester & Putnam. “When we underestimate how many households are struggling, we underestimate what it truly takes to build thriving communities. This means too many are left without the resources they need to stay healthy, achieve financial stability, and reach their fullest potential.”

The crux of the struggle for ALICE families is the gap between wages and expenses.

In 2023, a family of four with children in childcare in Putnam needed $135,660 just to cover the essentials – more than four times the federal poverty level of $30,000. Yet even with both parents working full time in two of the state’s most common jobs – a personal care aide and a stock worker/order filler – this family’s combined income still fell short of the cost of basics by $61,780.

Additionally, some groups face financial hardship at disproportionate rates, with 79 percent of the youngest and 51 percent of the oldest households in Westchester falling below the ALICE threshold, compared with 28 percent of households headed by someone age 25 to 44.

Similarly, single-parent households – 68 percent for female-led and 67 percent for male-led – are more likely to be below the ALICE threshold than married families with children.

The statistics from Putnam County align with state findings, which reveal that in 2023, New York State ranked third in financial hardship among all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, with one of the nation’s highest percentages of households struggling to make ends meet. Louisiana and Mississippi were the only two states with a greater rate of financial hardship, at 50 percent and 49 percent, respectively.

Housing continues to be an obstacle for struggling families. Among households below the ALICE threshold in New York, 70 percent of households that rented and 61 percent of those that owned were rent and housing burdened, meaning they paid 30 percent or more of their income on rent and housing costs.

“ALICE families are especially vulnerable during natural disasters and times of economic uncertainty, and yet often feel unseen or left behind,” said Stephanie Hoopes, national director at United For ALICE. “By providing a name and a way to quantify these households, we’re equipping communities with the data to build solutions that offer better choices and real pathways to stability.”

A copy of the latest “State of ALICE” is available at www.uwwp.org/alice. More state and local data is available through the interactive dashboards at www.unitedforalice.org/introducing-ALICE/new-york.