Key Terms

Household Survival Budget: The bare-minimum costs of basic necessities (housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, and technology).

ALICE Threshold: The average income needed to afford the Household Survival Budget. Households below the ALICE Threshold include both ALICE and poverty-level households.

ALICE: Households with income above the Federal Poverty Level but below the basic cost of living.

Poverty: Households earning below the Federal Poverty Level

Total Households: The number of households as reported by the American Community Survey.

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Research Center

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D.C. Metro Area

We all know people who are ALICE: Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed — earning more than the Federal Poverty Level, but not enough to afford the basics where they live.

ALICE households and households in poverty are forced to make tough choices, such as deciding between quality child care or paying the rent — choices that have long-term consequences not only for their families, but for all.

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D.C. Metro Area

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Overview

United For ALICE calculates the cost of household essentials for all counties in the D.C. Metropolitan Statistical Area (District of Columbia; Arlington, Clarke, Culpepper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, Rappahannock, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Warren Counties, and Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Manassas Park Cities in Virginia; Charles, Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland; and Jefferson County in West Virginia). These costs, outlined in the Household Survival Budget, are calculated for various household sizes and compositions.

Of D.C. Metro Area's 2,375,332 households in 2022…

8% earned below the Federal Poverty Level (FPL)
27% were ALICE, in households that earned above the FPL but not enough to afford the basics in the communities where they live
Together, 34% of households in D.C. Metro Area were below the ALICE Threshold (poverty + ALICE divided by total households)

While the COVID-19 pandemic brought employment shifts, health struggles, and school/business closures, it also spurred temporary expansion of public assistance through pandemic relief measures (which then reverted to pre-pandemic levels in 2022). In 2019, 737,528 households in D.C. Metro Area were below the ALICE Threshold; by 2022, that number had changed to 815,598. Use the buttons below to switch between ALICE data over time by number and percentage.

NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS
PERCENTAGE OF HOUSEHOLDS

Total Households
2,029,878

Total Households
2,071,515

Total Households
2,119,835

Total Households
2,159,079

Total Households
2,199,579

Total Households
2,210,237

Total Households
2,339,582

Total Households
2,375,332

View Source

See this data — and more — for all D.C. Metro Area counties on the County Reports page.

ALICE Lives in Every Community

ALICE lives in rural, urban, and suburban areas across the state. ALICE household data for D.C. Metro Area is available by County (see map below), ZIP code, Census Designated Place, and County Subdivision (on the Maps page) and by Legislative District. You can also compare states and explore national-level data on the National Overview page or download an Excel version of this data.

Hover over a county to see the total number and percentage of households that were below the FPL (Poverty), were ALICE, or were above the ALICE Threshold in 2022.

Percent Below ALICE Threshold

0.0%

Household Type: All Households

Alexandria city	76,672	28%
Arlington	112,504	26%
Charles	62,712	36%
Clarke	5,617	34%
Culpeper	18,188	35%
District of Columbia	326,970	36%
Fairfax	415,855	29%
Fairfax city	9,129	30%
Falls Church city	5,740	24%
Fauquier	26,011	34%
Frederick	104,912	32%
Fredericksburg city	11,276	45%
Jefferson	21,472	31%
Loudoun	143,195	24%
Manassas city	13,840	41%
Manassas Park city	5,221	55%
Montgomery	391,297	37%
Prince George's	347,207	42%
Prince William	156,728	39%
Rappahannock	2,823	34%
Spotsylvania	52,415	43%
Stafford	50,313	34%
Warren	15,235	39%

View Source

See maps with additional locations and topics on the Maps page.

ALICE Households are Diverse, but Financial Hardship is Not Equally Distributed

ALICE households are as diverse as the communities they live in. ALICE household data is available at the state and county levels by race/ethnicity, household composition (families with children, single households), and age of householder. Exploring the demographics of financial hardship highlights inequities in the state and local economy.

For example, the figure below shows the substantial disparities in financial hardship that exist by race/ethnicity.

SELECT COUNTY:

Households by Race/Ethnicity, D.C. Metro Area, 2022

View Notes

View Source

View more demographic data — including data by household type and age of householder — on the Demographics page.

ALICE Works Hard, But It’s Not Enough

A key contributor to the number of ALICE households in D.C. Metro Area is the fundamental mismatch between the cost of living and what jobs pay.

Top Occupations, Employment, Wages, and Percentage Below ALICE Threshold, D.C. Metro Area, 2022

General and Operations Managers	96,210	$72.97	800%	1,400%
Business Operations Specialists, All Other	73,490	$50.82	0%	900%
Management Analysts	71,400	$56.71	1,400%	800%
Software Developers	69,360	$67.23	0%	500%
Retail Salespersons	61,180	$17.61	3,800%	3,600%
Cashiers	59,310	$15.21	2,800%	4,800%
Fast Food and Counter Workers	56,650	$15.12	2,200%	3,500%
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners	52,120	$17.34	2,000%	5,400%
Lawyers	46,710	$101.85	2,900%	400%
Office Clerks, General	44,730	$22.52	2,200%	3,400%
Registered Nurses	44,120	$44.61	1,400%	1,300%
Accountants and Auditors	43,670	$48.98	1,900%	1,100%
Customer Service Representatives	41,060	$22.02	1,900%	2,800%
Stockers and Order Fillers	39,100	$17.83	3,100%	4,100%
Security Guards	38,130	$23.65	2,300%	3,000%
Waiters and Waitresses	38,070	$19.91	6,900%	4,000%
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive	37,080	$24.44	900%	2,800%
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	35,610	$15.70	1,200%	4,900%
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education	31,350	$39.77	400%	1,300%
Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel	29,860	$42.83	3,500%	900%

View Source

Learn more about work on the Labor Force page.

ALICE Data Can Inform Action

A catalyst for change, the ALICE research calls us all to action. Partner organizations across the country are using this research to inform programming, policy, evaluation, planning, and more.

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ALICE In Action

See what our partners are doing to help ALICE in the ALICE in Action database.

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Indicators of Well-being

View ALICE data mapped with Indicators of community well-being

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Community Maps

Search for resources to help ALICE in your community on the Maps page

D.C. Metro Area

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Overview

Of D.C. Metro Area's 2,375,332 households in 2022…

8% earned below the Federal Poverty Level (FPL)
27% were ALICE, in households that earned above the FPL but not enough to afford the basics in the communities where they live
Together, 34% of households in D.C. Metro Area were below the ALICE Threshold (poverty + ALICE divided by total households)

While the COVID-19 pandemic brought employment shifts, health struggles, and school/business closures, it also spurred temporary expansion of public assistance through pandemic relief measures (which then reverted to pre-pandemic levels in 2022)unprecedented public assistance through pandemic relief measures. In 2019, 737,528 households in D.C. Metro Area were below the ALICE Threshold; by 2022, that number had changed to 815,598.

Number of Households

Percentage of Households