The Tri-County United Way in partnership with United Way of Wisconsin released the 2026 State of ALICE report, a data-driven look at the realities faced by asset limited, income constrained, employed (ALICE) households.
The report reveals that 32% of households in Oconto County cannot afford the basic cost of living and struggle to get by.
National and state ALICE reports are authored by United For ALICE, a project of United Way of Northern New Jersey.
The ALICE Report goes beyond traditional poverty measures to reflect the true costs of living in the community. The report establishes a household survival budget, which includes the true cost of housing, childcare, food, transportation, healthcare, technology, taxes and a modest allowance for miscellaneous expenses, specific to every county in Wisconsin.
While the report describes 9% of Oconto County households (1,577 households) live beneath the federal poverty line, the new research demonstrates that 23% (3,917 households) were beneath the ALICE threshold, earning above the poverty level but still unable to cover basic needs.
When combined, the data reveals that 32% of all households in Oconto County are experiencing financial hardship.
While the poverty level has remained fairly steady, the ALICE population has consistently increased over the last four years, with 2024 seeing the sharpest increase.
“It would be really hard to pinpoint a specific cause of the increase, because each household faces unique challenges,” said Melanie Stahl, executive director of the Tri-County United Way. “It could be anything from a job loss or reduction in hours to a rent payment or insurance premium increase. The most likely culprit is that, generally, the rising cost of basic needs is outpacing wages.”
According to the ALICE Essentials Index, the cost of essentials in Wisconsin has risen faster than overall inflation since 2023, seeing a 4.8% annual increase.
Stahl also referred to data through the 211 Wisconsin Social Determinant of Health Dashboard.
“If you filter down to Oconto County calls made to the 211 Wisconsin Resource line, you’ll see that some of the most requested services include housing, healthcare and food,” she said. “Filtering the data further shows that within housing most people were looking for rental assistance. Within healthcare, most people are looking for aging and disability resources, and within food, most people are looking for a food pantry.”
Correlating the ALICE data and the 211 call data, the numbers demonstrate even more the issues faced by families.
“If we correlate that to the 211 calls in Oconto County for the same time period, calls for housing assistance increased by 107% and calls for food assistance increased from four to 24, which if I’m doing my math correctly is a 500% increase in the number of calls for food assistance,” Stahl said. “Based on this year’s report, an Oconto County family of four (two adults, two children in childcare) would need to make $87,264 to cover just the basics included in the ALICE Essentials Index.
“Yet when we look at data from the ALICE Economic Viability Dashboard, we can see that the most common industry for ALICE workers is manufacturing and the average wage is $18.95 per hour. Even if both adults in the household make this wage, they still fall short of covering the essentials by about $8,400 per year. Monthly, that shortfall is about $703, so that family is having to make some really tough choices every single month.”
“The single most important resource I can recommend is the 211 Wisconsin resource line,” Stahl said. “211 is a free and confidential service that connects you with thousands of local programs and services.”
Dial 211 on your phone to reach a trained community resource specialists 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or visit 211 Wisconsin online to search for services in the community. The service referrals are based on the caller’s ZIP code and include a wide range of human service organizations.
There are also a number of resources available through the Oconto County Public Health Department and the University of Wisconsin Oconto County Extension. The Disability and Senior Services – ADRC Wolf River Region is also a resource.
“Unfortunately, there is no single solution that will solve the challenges this rapidly growing sector of the population is experiencing,” Stahl said. “Instead, organizations like the once listed above and like local United Ways continue to work together to provide resources aimed at reducing the burden on the ALICE population.
“Recently, Tri-County United Way made the decision to strategically increase our investments in local, proven initiatives that will be carried out through an integrated, three-pronged approach that includes reducing barriers to stable employment and income, strengthening financial literacy and expanding access to income supports. We are still working through exactly what those programs will be and how they will be delivered.”
More state and local data is available through the State of ALICE Report and the ALICE Essential Index, both of which can be accessed online at unitedwaywi.org/page/ALICE.
kpasson@newmedia-wi.com
