About ALICE - United Way of Pennsylvania

Who Is ALICE?

ALICE represents the 27% of Pennsylvanians who work, but struggle to survive. ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.

ALICE earns above the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), but makes less than what’s needed to afford basic essentials. ALICE often earns too much to qualify for government assistance, and there is no room in ALICE’s budget for emergency expenses. If you combine PA households earning below the ALICE Threshold with those living below the FPL, that’s 39% of PA households who face financial hardship every day, in every county in PA. (The State of ALICE in Pennsylvania: 2026 Update on Financial Hardship.)

The Response of PA United Ways

United Ways throughout Pennsylvania are committed to lifting up ALICE through community programs and advocacy.

PA 211: Through this program, we connect families to local programs that can help them with their individual needs. We also document unmet needs so communities can plan strategies for the future.
Advocacy: United Ways speak up for policies that ensure all PA families are able to work toward financial stability.
Partnerships: Our local-level partnerships and programs are able to address the unique needs of each individual community, understanding the solutions that will work there.
ALICE Report: In June 2026, United Way of Pennsylvania presented a data refresh to the ALICE Report for Pennsylvania, allowing us to understand more recent circumstances in our state.

Equipped with these tools, the PA network of United Ways convenes, advocates and innovates in our local communities to highlight the issues faced by ALICE households, and we generate solutions to help ALICE on their path to financial stability.

Want to explore PA’s ALICE data further? Check out the United For ALICE^® website to see county-specific visual data on demographics, the labor force, resource gaps, and more.