There were 737,157 Oregon households unable to afford the state’s cost of living in 2023, according to the ALICE Report released today by United Way of the Columbia-Willamette and United Ways of the Pacific Northwest. The Report was released in partnership with United For ALICE, a U.S. research organization driving innovation, research and action to improve life across the country for people in financial hardship.
Explore the United For Alice Website
ALICE in Oregon: A Study of Financial Hardship places a spotlight on what United For ALICE calls the ALICE population - households earning more than the official Federal Poverty Level, but less than the cost of basics such as housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, technology and taxes. ALICE® stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed - a large population of people who, despite working one or more jobs, are an unexpected car repair or medical bill away from being able to cover their most basic needs. These financial hardships are not accidental. They are the result of deeply entrenched systems - shaped by centuries of racial exclusion, economic policy decisions, and unequal investment - that have disproportionately impacted communities of color.
“We all know ALICE. ALICE is the recent college graduate living with roommates because rent is out of reach, the young family squeezed by the cost of child care, and the mid-career professional underemployed despite doing everything ‘right.’ These are the people who teach our kids, care for our elders, and keep our economy running - and yet they’re struggling to afford the basics. That’s not a personal failure; It's a reflection of the lasting impact of systemic racism, intergenerational poverty, and institutions that fail to meet the essential needs of families and our community.”
United Way of the Columbia-Willamette President and CEO Kelly O’Lague
The Report is the most comprehensive depiction of financial need in the state to date, using the latest data from a variety of sources, including the U.S. Census. The Report unveils new measures, based on 2023 income levels and expenses, that quantify how many Oregon households are struggling financially, and why.
In 2023, out of Oregon’s 1.7 million households, a total of 528,716 households fell into the ALICE population. This number was more than double the official poverty rate, which accounted for another 208,441 households in the state. A disproportionate share of these households are communities of color - reflecting the insidious legacy and ongoing reality of structural racism embedded in our housing, education, labor, and health care systems. At United Way of the Columbia-Willamette, we believe that recognizing this reality is the first step in addressing and ending it. Details about Clackamas, Clark, Multnomah, and Washington counties are below:
- Clackamas: 32% ALICE – 6% below the Federal Poverty Line (FPL)
- Multnomah: 34% ALICE – 13% below the FPL
- Washington: 29% ALICE – 7% below the FPL
- Clark County (Washington) – 33% ALICE – 7% below the FPL
“We all know ALICE,” said United Way of the Columbia-Willamette President and CEO Kelly O’Lague. “ALICE is the recent college graduate living with roommates because rent is out of reach, the young family squeezed by the cost of child care, and the mid-career professional underemployed despite doing everything ‘right.’ These are the people who teach our kids, care for our elders, and keep our economy running - and yet they’re struggling to afford the basics. That’s not a personal failure; It's a reflection of the lasting impact of systemic racism, intergenerational poverty, and institutions that fail to meet the essential needs of families and our community.”
The Report is a project of United For ALICE, which leads a grassroots movement of United Ways, corporations, nonprofits, and foundations in more than half the United States, all using the same methodology to document financial need. The ALICE Reports provide county-by-county data and analysis of how many households are struggling, including the obstacles ALICE households face on the road to financial independence.
While the ALICE Report brings fresh, up-to-date data on the financial struggles facing households in our region, the insights it offers are not new to United Way of the Columbia-Willamette. We have long recognized the impact of financial hardship and systemic barriers on our communities. What’s new - and powerful - is how we are now intentionally using ALICE data, in combination with deep, diverse community partnerships, to guide our investment strategies and sharpen our impact. This marks a pivotal step forward for UWCW: aligning cutting-edge data with community voice to ensure our efforts are more targeted, equitable, and effective than ever before.
“This Report provides the objective data that explains why so many residents are struggling to survive and the challenges they face in attempting to make ends meet,” said the Report’s lead researcher, United For ALICE National Director Stephanie Hoopes, Ph.D. “Until now, the true picture of need in local communities and states has been understated and obscured by misleading averages and outdated poverty statistics.”
The ALICE Report reveals:
- Households below the ALICE Threshold span all races, ages, and genders, closely mirroring the state's basic demographic make-up.
- Due to systemic inequities, communities of color are overrepresented in the ALICE population and face greater barriers to financial stability. For example, 61% of Black and 50% of Hispanic households in Oregon were below the ALICE Threshold in 2023, compared to 41% of white households. This structural racism, woven into the laws, economy, and institutions of our community, significantly restricts communities of color from building financial stability.
- Because wages haven’t kept pace with rising costs, 54% of the state’s 57,630 Fast Food and Counter workers - one of the most common occupations - lived below the ALICE Threshold in 2023.
- Nearly half of Oregon’s 36 counties had 40% or more households unable to make ends meet in 2023. The average income needed to survive in Oregon depends on local conditions and ranged from $52,560 to $97,200 annually for a family of four, more than double the official U.S. poverty level.
“As Board Chair, I see firsthand how ALICE data is not just statistics - it’s a wake-up call,” said Mihir Patel, Board Chair of United Way of the Columbia-Willamette. “Behind every data point is a family doing everything they can to stay afloat in a system that too often fails to reward hard work. This Report gives us the clarity and urgency we need to act. It challenges all of us in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to collaborate, invest wisely, and create real pathways to opportunity. At United Way, we’re committed to using this data to fuel action and build a stronger, more equitable region for everyone.”
ALICE represents data that is reshaping the dialogue around financial hardship. This data reframes “poverty” narratives in our work, focusing attention on addressing persistent and systemic causes of unequal opportunity, not just unequal outcomes. It is a grassroots movement powered by United Way and the communities we serve, telling the story of people’s economic hardships that is woefully underrepresented by the Federal Poverty Limit.
For more information or to find data about ALICE in local communities, visit www.UnitedForALICE.org.