NEWPORT — In a neon yellow safety shirt and pink hard hat, 26-year-old union laborer Ashlynn Jorge stops traffic on a sidewalk job and counts the hours she works to keep her family afloat. Jorge earns about $4,800 a month, she said, yet pays $2,500 for rent on a three-bedroom house in East Providence and $767 monthly for a leased Hyundai Palisade. After food, utilities and other costs, there is little left for savings or unexpected expenses.
Her situation is central to a new United Way of Rhode Island report released Thursday that highlights the extent of what it calls ALICE households — families that are Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed and therefore earning too little to meet basic needs where they live.
"Live paycheck to paycheck," Jorge said. "I try to give my kids what they deserve, so I try my best to work overtime sometimes."
What the report found
The United Way study estimates that a Rhode Island family with two working adults and two young children would need about $111,000 annually to cover a so-called "survival budget" — the cost of housing, food, childcare, transportation and health care without room for savings or unexpected repairs. That figure does not include discretionary expenses such as vacations, dining out or significant emergency costs.
By contrast, the federal poverty threshold for a household of four remains much lower — roughly $33,000 — a gap that obscures the financial reality for many working households.
Scope of hardship in Rhode Island
Rhode Island had 446,751 households in 2024. Of those, the report counts 131,627 — or 29.46% — as ALICE households. When combined with the 58,903 households living in poverty, that produces a total of 190,530 households either in poverty or ALICE.
| Measure | Households |
|---|---|
| Total households (2024) | 446,751 |
| ALICE households | 131,627 (29.46%) |
| Households in poverty | 58,903 |
| Combined ALICE + poverty | 190,530 |
Everyday consequences
The report and firsthand accounts illustrate how the strain shows up in practical choices: adult household members forgoing employment because childcare costs exceed potential earnings; workers taking extra shifts to pay rent; families delaying vehicle repairs, medical care or educational opportunities. Jorge said it is cheaper for her boyfriend to stay home and care for their young children than to work and pay childcare expenses.
United Way officials emphasize that while ALICE families are employed, their incomes leave them vulnerable to even small financial shocks. The study’s "survival budget" is intentionally minimal, excluding savings and discretionary spending; as a result, families meeting only that mark remain precarious.
Policy and community implications
Advocates say the findings should inform state and local policymakers as they consider wages, housing policy, childcare subsidies and transportation. The data also provides a benchmark for nonprofits and private employers assessing where to focus assistance or benefits that can stabilize households, such as affordable childcare, reliable transit and living-wage initiatives.
- Housing: High rents consume a large share of earned income for many ALICE households.
- Childcare: Costs can make work infeasible for one parent, reducing household earnings.
- Transportation and car costs: Auto payments and repairs are a common source of financial strain.
While the United Way report frames the problem in numbers, those figures reflect everyday trade-offs made by families across Rhode Island. For workers like Jorge, the calculus is immediate: more hours, less sleep, and still no cushion for an unexpected bill.
United Way officials and local service providers told reporters the study aims to sharpen awareness and help guide targeted actions. For now, the data underscores a persistent reality: many Rhode Islanders are employed yet one emergency away from deeper financial distress.
