Annual ALICE Report Shows Basic Costs Top $100,000 for Many Area Families
Pinellas County has Florida’s second-highest family survival budget as nearly 665,000 households across the region struggle to afford the basics
A new United Way Suncoast report reveals that in our region a family of four with two young children in childcare must annually earn more than $106,000 just to afford the basic necessities. However, Florida’s median household income is $77,735. The regional nonprofit released its 2026 ALICE Report today, highlighting the challenges faced by individuals and families living paycheck to paycheck and just one unexpected expense away from dire circumstances.
ALICE© stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed and the study is delivered in collaboration with research partner United for ALICE. It provides a snapshot of households that earn above the federal poverty level but less than the basic cost of living. According to the report, the number of households below the ALICE threshold rose to 47% in Florida. That’s the fourth highest percentage in the nation. Yes, Florida ranks 47th among 50 states when it comes to people living below the threshold.
The regional household survival budget is about $4,000 higher than last year’s update and far exceeds Florida’s statewide family survival budget of about $91,000. The survival budget accounts for the basics of housing, transportation, food, childcare, a basic smartphone plan, and taxes. In Pinellas County, the annual household survival budget for a family of four with two young children in childcare reached $114,084, the second-highest survival budget in Florida behind Miami-Dade County.
Key Findings
Across United Way Suncoast’s service region, which includes DeSoto, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pinellas, and Sarasota counties, nearly 665,000 households live below the ALICE Threshold.
Other key findings include:
Survival budgets in United Way Suncoast’s region are among the highest in Florida.
Pinellas County has the second-highest family survival budget in the state at $114,084.
Hillsborough County recorded the region’s largest year-over-year increase, with its family survival budget rising 12.5% to $108,840.
Sarasota County’s family survival budget reached $108,900, while Manatee County’s reached $100,416.
DeSoto County continues to experience the highest rate of financial hardship in the United Way Suncoast region, though the county also has shown the region’s greatest improvement over the past three years.
“The ALICE data shows what families across our region already know: The cost of basic needs continues to outpace what many working households earn,” said Kourtney Sanchez, CEO of United Way Suncoast. “United Way Suncoast invests in programs that help families access quality childcare, keep children learning, file taxes for free, and build financial security. But nonprofits cannot solve affordability alone. This report should serve as a call to action for employers, community leaders, and elected officials to come together around solutions that help more families move from survival to security.”
Financial Hardship Across the Region
The 2026 ALICE report shows the following county-level data for United Way Suncoast’s five-county region. The percentage of households below the ALICE threshold includes households below the federal poverty line and ALICE families (above the poverty line but below the household survival budget.
DeSoto County: Median household income of $54,417; Family survival budget of $80,556, up 3.37% from 2025; 56% of households below ALICE.
Hillsborough County: Median household income of $85,183; Family survival budget of $108,840, up 12.5% from the 2025 update; 44% of households below ALICE.
Manatee County: Median household income of $81,395; Family survival budget of $100,416, up 5.59% from the 2025 update; 43% of households below ALICE.
Pinellas County: Median household income of $73,832; Family survival budget of $114,084, up 5.16% from the 2025 update; 47% of households below ALICE.
Sarasota County: Median household income of $83,003; Family survival budget of $108,900, up 4.28% from the 2025 update; 42% of households below ALICE.
DeSoto County remains the most financially challenged county in the region, with 44% of households above the ALICE Threshold compared with 56% in Hillsborough, 58% in Manatee, 53% in Pinellas and 58% in Sarasota. Still, DeSoto has made measurable progress. Three years ago, only 35% of DeSoto households lived above the ALICE Threshold.
Who is Struggling Most
The report also shows that financial hardship is especially pronounced among older adults, single-parent households, and households of color.
More than 272,000 adults age 65 and older in the five-county region live below the ALICE Threshold, making older adults the largest share of the struggling population by age. The continued growth in financially-struggling senior households underscores the need for community solutions that help older residents remain stable, connected, and supported.
75% of households led by single mothers fall below the ALICE Threshold, compared with 23% of married families.
31% of all families with children are single-parent families, showing that single-parent households are not an outlier.
Black and Hispanic households continue to experience higher rates of financial hardship than white and Asian households.
How United Way Suncoast Supports ALICE Families
United Way Suncoast responds to the ALICE findings through programs and partnerships focused on educational opportunity, financial security, and community resiliency, including:
Community Impact Investments, a three-year, $14.13 million commitment begun in 2025, supports 67 programs across the five-county region. The grants support educational opportunity and financial security initiatives, including early learning, youth development, workforce training, job placement, financial coaching, and other services.
Quality Childcare Initiative, which works with early learning coalitions and child care providers in areas with high concentrations of ALICE families to improve access to high-quality early education.
Summer Care, which provides children from ALICE families with scholarships to summer programs, literacy support, and summer bridge curriculum. In 2026, Summer Care expanded to 25 partners, 54 campsites, and nearly 1,000 scholarships across the five-county region.
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), which connects low- and moderate-income residents with IRS-certified volunteers who prepare and file taxes for free.
Financial coaching, which helps families work toward longer-term security.
“The ALICE report gives us more than numbers,” Sanchez said. “It gives our region a clear picture of where families are struggling and where action is needed. United Way Suncoast will continue to lead, convene, and invest, but lasting change will take all of us.”
To learn more about the ALICE data and access the interactive report, visit www.unitedwaysuncoast.org or www.UWSAlice.org.
About United Way Suncoast
United Way Suncoast mobilizes communities to action for all. We give families and community members across our five-county footprint the “Freedom To Rise.” Founded in 1924, we enter our second century of service with a decided focus on uniting the region to generate support for hard-working families that stand one unexpected expense away from dire circumstance. We elevate early learning, energize middle school and high school youths and empower community members through financial security. We proudly serve Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota and DeSoto counties by investing in services and programs that help people create the lives they imagine for themselves. We enhance the community by addressing emerging needs such as natural disasters, and we expand the capacity of our nonprofits to help our impact ripple through the region. Along the way, we lead, convene and collaborate with corporate supporters, individual donors, nonprofit partners and valued volunteers because we know – United We Rise, United We Win.