RUW 2024 Annual Report FINAL Print Version - Flipbook - Page 6
UNDERSTANDING ALICE
The findings from ALICE in the Crosscurrents: An
Update on Financial Hardship in Virginia revealed a
stark reality for thousands of families in the Greater
Fredericksburg Region. Despite wages for the lowestpaid jobs rising at the fastest rate in four decades,
financial hardship persists and is growing. From 2021 to
2022, the number of struggling households in Virginia
increased by 87,443. Today, over 1.3 million households,
or 40% of the state, live paycheck to paycheck. This
includes 359,347 households in poverty and an
additional 977,828 ALICE households (Asset Limited,
Income Constrained, Employed) who earn above the
Federal Poverty Level but still cannot afford the basic
cost of living.
Breaking Down Regional Impact
Caroline County: 40% ALICE households
King George County: 30% ALICE households
Spotsylvania County: 43% ALICE households
Stafford County: 34% ALICE households
City of Fredericksburg: 44% ALICE households
In the Greater Fredericksburg Region alone, the basic
annual cost of living for a family of four with an infant
and a preschooler rose dramatically from $84,509 to
$110,177 in just one year. This increasing financial
strain is reflected in the growing number of ALICE
households in our region, which climbed from over
48,000 to more than 52,000 in the same period.
Currently, 38% of households in the Greater
Fredericksburg Region are living at or below the ALICE
threshold, underscoring the urgent need for community
support and systemic change.
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