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 Report
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.