Thirty-five percent of Leon County households are made up of people who are working, but barely getting by, according to the latest ALICE Report.
ALICE stands for Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed. The report measures the economic trends that shape communities. The new one shows Leon County has a slightly larger share of ALICE households compared with the rest of the state. And 16 percent of Leon households meet the federal guidelines for poverty. The statewide average is 12%.
Berneice Cox heads the United Way of the Big Bend, which commissioned the report.
“As we talk 32304 zip code -- and I also want to talk neighborhoods -- it is 84% of those neighbors either live in poverty or the edge of poverty," she said. "In 32301 and 32310, we’re talking 70%-plus that live in poverty or the edge of poverty. That is staggering. That is a wake-up call to our community.”
In Gadsden County, the ALICE rate is 44% and the poverty rate is 20%. In Jefferson County, the ALICE rate is 36% poverty rate is 16%.
