Research Center
Arkansas
We all know people who are ALICE — Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. ALICE workers educate our children, keep us healthy, and make our quality of life possible, yet do not earn enough to support their own families. ALICE households are forced to make tough choices, such as deciding between quality child care or paying the rent, which have long-term consequences not only for ALICE, but for all.
In order to better understand this growing population, United For ALICE provides a framework, language, statistics, and tools that community stakeholders can use to inform policy and drive innovation. The Research Center is the hub of UnitedForALICE.org — a one-stop source for exploring the latest ALICE data, on a national scale down to the local level in our partner states. Use the tabs below to navigate the Research Center.
Arkansas
Household Budgets 2018
Traditional economic measures systematically underestimate the actual cost of basic needs and how quickly they increase over time, concealing important aspects of the local and national economy. To better capture the reality of how much households need to live and work in the modern economy in each Arkansas county, United For ALICE provides three basic budgets, each of which can be calculated for various household types:
The ALICE Household Survival Budget
The minimal estimate of the total cost of household essentials — housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, and a smartphone plan, plus taxes and a miscellaneous contingency fund equal to 10% of the budget.
The ALICE Household Survival Budget
The minimal estimate of the total cost of household essentials — housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, and a smartphone plan, plus taxes and a miscellaneous contingency fund equal to 10% of the budget.
The Senior Survival Budget
Adjusts the Household Survival Budget to reflect the fact that seniors have lower food costs than younger adults, travel fewer miles for work and family responsibilities, and have increasing health needs and out-of-pocket health care expenses.
The Senior Survival Budget
Adjusts the Household Survival Budget to reflect the fact that seniors have lower food costs than younger adults, travel fewer miles for work and family responsibilities, and have increasing health needs and out of pocket health care expenses.
The ALICE Household Stability Budget
Posits a more sustainable budget model that estimates the higher costs of maintaining a viable household over time, including a 10% savings category that can be used in an emergency, for additional education, or to buy a home.
The ALICE Household Stability Budget
Posits a more sustainable budget model that estimates the higher costs of maintaining a viable household over time, including a 10% savings category that can be used in an emergency, for additional education, or to buy a home.
State and County Budgets Tool, 2018
Click the icons on the right side of the figure to add or remove selected expenses from the budget total.
ALICE Budgets Differ by Household Type and Location
The interactive map and figure below show how the ALICE budgets differ by household type and location, and how they compare to the Federal Poverty Level.
The map and figure below show how the ALICE budgets differ by household type and location, and how they compare to the Federal Poverty Level.
Monthly Budget Comparison, Arkansas, 2018
Cost of Living by Geography, Arkansas, 2018
Additional Household Sizes, Survival Budget, Arkansas, 2018
The ALICE Household Survival Budget can also be customized for different household sizes using the numbers below: