More families are working, yet more are struggling

Media contact:
Katie Connell, United Way of Greater Cleveland: 404.895.5513 and kconnell@unitedwaycleveland.org

CLEVELAND, Ohio (June 10, 2026) – New data released today by United Way of Greater Cleveland reveals both progress and a paradox shaping the lives of thousands of local families: population is increasing, poverty is declining, employment is rising, yet more working households are struggling to afford the essentials.

United Way’s latest State of ALICE report, provided each year in partnership with United For ALICE, shows that 41% of Cuyahoga County households – or 227,000 – local families live below the ALICE Threshold of affordability. This means that, because their household income is below the Survival Budget for our county, they cannot consistently afford basic necessities such as housing, food, transportation, health care, technology, and childcare. While the report shows improvement from 43% last year – with 8,000 fewer Cuyahoga County families below the ALICE threshold – it still means nearly half of local households are living one unexpected expense away from crisis.

United Way’s report also highlights a significant shift in the nature of financial hardship. Over the past decade, the number of households living in poverty in Cuyahoga County declined by approximately 15,000. During that same period, the number of ALICE households – meaning working households that earn above the federal poverty level but still do not earn enough to afford the basics – increased by approximately 20,000.

ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. These are the essential workers Greater Cleveland relies on every day, including home health aides, grocery store cashiers, delivery drivers, food service workers, and others who keep the region running.

“Our ALICE Report findings should challenge how we think about economic progress,” said Sharon Sobol Jordan, President and CEO of United Way of Greater Cleveland. “While fewer families are living in poverty, we cannot ignore the fact that more working households are falling behind. Today, nearly half of families in Cuyahoga County are struggling to afford the basics, even when someone is working. That tells us that work is no longer enough. Effort isn’t the issue. Access to opportunity is.”

The report shows the growing affordability gap between wages and the actual cost of living. In Cuyahoga County, a family of four with two working parents has a median income of $65,974. Yet that family needs $75,216 annually just to cover basic household expenses, creating a gap of $9,242. When full-time childcare costs are included, the gap can approach $25,000.

United Way’s report also reveals significant disparities across race and age in our county:

• 59% of Black households live below the ALICE Threshold.
• 49% of Hispanic households live below the ALICE Threshold.
• 60% of households headed by someone under age 25 live below the ALICE Threshold.
• 52% of households headed by someone age 65 or older live below the ALICE Threshold.

The findings underscore why United Way of Greater Cleveland has sharpened its focus on upward economic mobility, particularly for working families, serving as the bridge from crisis to stability to possibility. United Way provides our community with 211, Greater Cleveland’s front door to support and opportunity, helping residents navigate challenges before they become crises.

Guided by data from 211 callers and our annual ALICE report, United Way strategically invests in solutions that keep working people working and moving toward better opportunity, including housing stability, childcare, workforce advancement, and financial security. The organization is also expanding initiatives such as Bridges@Work, which places trained navigators directly at workplaces to help employees overcome challenges that can threaten job stability, while continuing to advance policy and advocacy efforts at the local and state levels that create greater pathways to opportunity for working families. Together, these efforts reflect United Way’s commitment to not only responding to immediate needs but also advancing long-term solutions that help families achieve lasting financial stability and economic mobility.

In the past year alone, more than 220,000 individuals were connected to support through United Way 211, and nearly two-thirds of those callers were employed. The calls came from every ZIP code in the community, reinforcing what the ALICE data makes clear: financial hardship is not confined to those who are unemployed or living in poverty. It is increasingly affecting working households across Greater Cleveland.

“Our ALICE data confirms what we hear in our daily conversations with Greater Clevelanders,” Jordan said. “Families are working hard, but too many are walking a financial tightrope, living too close to the edge. We and our partners are seeing more families in need of housing and homelessness services, even though more than half of those households are working. An unexpected car repair, a medical bill, or rising rent of just a few hundred dollars can quickly become a financial crisis.”

The ALICE Threshold provides a more accurate measure of affordability and economic hardship than the Federal Poverty Level because it reflects the actual cost of living in local communities. The data show that many working households earn too much to qualify for assistance programs but too little to afford the essentials needed to remain stable.

“The question is no longer whether people are working,” Jordan added. “The question is how does work create the opportunity for upward mobility. When more families have real opportunity to move from stability to possibility, our entire community is stronger.”

Additional state and local data are available through the interactive dashboards at UnitedForALICE.org/Ohio.

About United Way of Greater Cleveland

United Way of Greater Cleveland serves as the bridge from crisis to stability to possibility for hard-working people and families across our community. Through United Way 211, Greater Cleveland’s front door to support and opportunity, we connect people to the right help at the right time and use what we learn to strengthen solutions that help families stay housed, remain employed, build financial security, and move forward.

Working closely alongside businesses, nonprofits, philanthropy, government, and community leaders, we identify needs, close resource gaps, and create pathways to economic mobility and greater opportunity for all. For more than 100 years, United Way of Greater Cleveland has helped people navigate life’s challenges while building a stronger future for our community and our region.

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. For more information, visit UnitedForALICE.org.

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