2023 ALICE Report

New ALICE Report shows 37,055 households (36%) in Frederick County cannot afford basic needs such as housing, transportation, childcare, food, health care and technology. 

 

The ALICE Report is a comprehensive look at working individuals and families who are unable to afford a basic cost of living in their communities.  The 2023 ALICE Report provides the first look at the extent of financial hardship in Maryland using ALICE metrics since ALICE Coverthe COVID-19 pandemic began.  In a time of tremendous change, United Way of Frederick County and its research partner United for ALICE remain committed to providing the strongest and most up-to-date local data possible on ALICE in Maryland and in Frederick County.

In Frederick County, MD, 37,055 households (36%) cannot afford basic needs such as housing, transportation, childcare, food, transportation, health care and technology. The ALICE Report provides the first look at the extent of financial hardship in Frederick County using ALICE metrics since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

The pandemic has disrupted longstanding patterns in how and where people live, work, study, save and spend their time. And the story of ALICE is still unfolding as the 2023 Report was released, amid an ongoing health crisis and an economic and public policy landscape that continues to shift. In a time of change, ALICE researchers (United for ALICE) remain committed to providing the most up-to-date local data possible on financial hardship in Frederick, Maryland and across the U.S.

  • Click HERE for the 2023 ALICE Report for Frederick County (PDF)
  • Click HERE for the 2023 ALICE Report in Maryland full written report (PDF)
  • Click HERE for the Frederick County ALICE Report at United for ALICE
  • Click HERE to visit the Maryland site at United for ALICE

 

ALICE in Frederick County

 

Frederick County Chart
2023 ALICE Report:  7% represents households below the Federal Poverty Line.  ALICE are those above poverty line but below the basic cost of living.

In Frederick County, MD, 36% of households are unable to afford basic necessities.  While the slight decrease in percentage since the 2020 ALICE Report, the reality is that Frederick County is growing community.  Since 2019, Frederick County has added 9,917 total households and, with 103,685 total households, Frederick County has seen a 11% increase in total households.

ALICE households in Frederick County and throughout the U.S. are especially vulnerable to national and local economic disruptions.  The number of Frederick County households below the ALICE Threshold increased dramatically through the Great Recession (2007-2010) and continued to increase through 2018.  By 2019, that number had begun to fall -- and then the pandemic hit.  From 2019 - 2021, the total number of ALICE households has increased by 7,049 (23%).

With pandemic assistance waning while significant challenges remain, there are warning signs that the economic situation for ALICE households has worsened since 2021, which sustained high levels of food insufficiency, continued difficulty paying bills including rent, heightened risk eviction, lack of savings and increased medical debt and feelings of anxiety and depression.

Yet optimism about the future persists as Frederick County government, businesses and nonprofits come together to address the community challenges that are outlined in the ALICE Report.

New in 2024, United for ALICE has released the ALICE Economic Viability Dashboard.

 

This new tool aims to showcase the true extent of financial hardship across the country by building on research to explore why so many households are struggling.

Explore new data on ALICE work, housing, and community resources using the link below.

Local ALICE Report Sponsors

ALICE Sponsors

ALICE Report Data Sponsors

ALICE Report Data Sponsors

20% of Frederick County’s 15,750 veterans struggle to afford basic needs, according to a new report from United Way of Frederick County and its research partner United For ALICE.

The ALICE in Focus: Veterans report reveal that while veterans show lower rates of financial hardship than individuals who never served, many of Frederick County’s veterans, especially those in communities of color, face tough financial challenges.

35% of Frederick County’s Black veterans and 30% of Hispanic veterans struggle to afford a basic cost of living earning. This is in comparison to 17% of White veterans. These ALICE levels are higher than the state of Maryland where 25%, 21% and 24% of Black, Hispanic and White veterans are ALICE.

United Way’s Ride United program, which launched in 2021, provides free/discounted transportation to ALICE households in Frederick County. In 2022, United Way expanded Ride United to those who have served in the United States military. 

Download the ALICE in Focus: Veterans Report for Maryland

Download the ALICE in Focus: Veterans Slideshow in Frederick County

United Way of Frederick County, in partnership with United for ALICE researchers, have released a new report that shows that 22,067 Frederick County children live in families that can’t afford basic necessities.  

3,042 children are identified as in poverty by the federal government and an additional 19,025 are ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) and unable to afford a basic cost of living.

Other findings include:
•    Having two working parents didn’t guarantee financial stability. Among households with two working adults, 16% of Frederick County children live in families whose income didn’t meet the cost of basic needs;
•    Nearly 6,000 children live in homes with single mothers and 69% of those children struggle every day with access to food, housing and other necessities; and
•    Over 13,000 children live in rental units and 72% of those children are ALICE.

Read the ALICE in Focus: Children Data for Frederick County Press Release

Download the Slideshow on ALICE in Focus: Children in Frederick County

Download the ALICE in Focus: Children Report for Maryland

Local ALICE Partners

  • Advocates for Homeless Families
  • Blessings in a Backpack
  • Boys & Girls Club of Frederick County
  • Care Net Pregnancy Center of Frederick
  • Children of Incarcerated Parents Partnership
  • City of Frederick
  • The Community Foundation of Frederick County
  • Community Living, Inc.
  • Federated Charities
  • The Frederick Center
  • Frederick Community College
  • Frederick County Government
  • Frederick County Public Libraries
  • Frederick County Public Schools
  • Frederick Health
  • Frederick Rescue Mission
  • Girls on the Run of Mid & Western Maryland
  • Goodwill Industries of Monocacy Valley
  • Habitat for Humanity of Frederick County
  • Heartly House
  • Hood College
  • Frederick Health Hospice
  • Housing Authority of the City of Frederick
  • Interfaith Housing Alliance
  • Kiwanis Club of Frederick
  • Literacy Council of Frederick County
  • Marriage Resource Center
  • Mental Health Association of Frederick County
  • New Spire Arts
  • Partners in Care
  • Second Chances Garage
  • Spanish Speaking Community of Maryland
  • Helen J. Serini Foundation
  • SHIP of Frederick County
  • Woman to Woman Mentoring
  • Zavos Architecture+Design

In August 2021, United Way of Frederick County announced the results of the COVID-19 Impact Survey for Frederick County. The findings show more disparity among ALICE and non-ALICE households and speaks to residents experiencing two very different pandemics with ALICE households experiencing more challenges as a result.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the ALICE Report showed that 37% of families in Frederick County couldn’t afford a basic cost of living in 2018. The COVID-19 Impact Survey shows that 48% of local ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) families with children who responded are concerned about paying basic household expenses such as food, rent and utilities. 

Click here to download a copy of the results.