New ALICE Data Shows 35% of Brown County Households Can’t Afford Basics

New report highlights growing financial challenges for young adults and older residents across Brown County

 

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Brown County United Way released the 2026 State of ALICE® report, revealing that 35% of Brown County households, or more than 38,000 households, lived below a basic cost of living in 2024. This rate of financial hardship is in stark contrast to the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) rate of 9%, which excludes ALICE® (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) households and is an outdated measure of financial need.

The report also highlights growing financial challenges among younger adults and older residents. Between 2023 and 2024, the rate of households headed by adults under age 25 living below the ALICE Threshold increased from 48% to 62%, while the share of households headed by adults age 65 and older living below the ALICE Threshold increased from 45% to 49%.

The report provides a comprehensive look at the challenges facing ALICE households. Produced by United For ALICE, a research initiative of United Way of Northern New Jersey, the report goes beyond traditional poverty measures to reflect the true cost of living in communities across the country.

The ALICE Report establishes a Household Survival Budget reflecting more realistic expenses for the lowest-cost options for housing, childcare, food, transportation, health care, technology, taxes, and other basic expenses specific to each county.

In Brown County, 10,197 households, or 9%, lived below the FPL in 2024. An additional 28,242 households, or 26%, earned above the poverty line but still could not afford basic necessities. Together, these households make up the 35% of Brown County households living below the ALICE Threshold. These households are located throughout the county, including rural areas like Denmark and Pulaski, with ALICE Threshold rates of 38% and 40%.

“ALICE data represents more than just numbers. It reflects our neighbors, coworkers, friends, and family members who work hard every day and still struggle to make ends meet,” said Robyn Davis, President and CEO of Brown County United Way. “While more than one-third of Brown County households are living below the ALICE Threshold, we are especially concerned by the growing financial challenges facing younger adults and older residents. The data helps us better understand these realities and strengthens our ability to work with community partners to create solutions that improve financial stability and opportunity.”

The State of ALICE in Wisconsin also reveals that in 2024:

• Wisconsin ranked 7th in financial hardship among all 50 states plus the District of Columbia (with 1st place representing the lowest rate of hardship).
• ALICE households were found in every major industry statewide, with the highest levels of hardship experienced by those working in accommodation and food services.
• Poverty rates have remained relatively stable over time, while the number of ALICE households continues to grow.
• Minimum wage workers in Wisconsin have seen no hourly pay increase since 2009. Yet for one full-time adult worker with one school-age child, that wage still was not enough to support the ALICE Household Survival Budget, the minimum cost of basics, in any county across the state of Wisconsin.

Brown County United Way uses ALICE data to guide investments, partnerships, and advocacy efforts focused on financial security, healthy communities, youth opportunity, and community resiliency. By bringing together nonprofit organizations, businesses, government partners, and community members, Brown County United Way works to address the barriers that prevent families from achieving financial stability.

“We invite individuals, businesses, and policymakers to be part of the solution,” Davis said. “Whether through volunteering, investing in our community, advocating for change, or supporting local programs, we all have a role to play in creating a Brown County where every person has the opportunity to thrive.”

More state and local data is available through the State of ALICE Report, online data dashboard, and tools like the ALICE Essentials Index.

 

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About Brown County United Way
Brown County United Way leverages data to mobilize the Brown County region in three ways: helping individuals, improving community systems and advancing policy change, while keeping ALICE® at the center. Further, its mission is to unite people, resources and ideas to co-create community solutions that strengthen every person and every community in Brown County.

About United for ALICE
United For ALICE is a U.S. research organization driving innovation, research and action to improve life across the country for ALICE® (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) and for all. Through the development of the ALICE measurements, a comprehensive, unbiased picture of financial hardship has emerged. Harnessing this data and research on the mismatch between low-paying jobs and the cost of survival, ALICE partners convene, advocate, and collaborate on solutions that promote financial stability at local, state, and national levels. This grassroots ALICE movement, led by United Way of Northern New Jersey, has spread to 41 states and the District of Columbia and includes United Ways, corporations, nonprofits, and foundations in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawai‘i, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Washington, D.C., West Virginia, and Wisconsin; we are United For ALICE. For more information, visit: UnitedForALICE.org.

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