ALICE households – New data from United Way’s 2026 State of ALICE in Florida report shows Miami-Dade County households are stretched thin: poverty rose to 155,328 households in 2024, and 408,619 households qualified as ALICE—earning above the federal poverty line but still falli
For many Miami-Dade families, the math simply doesn’t add up. United Way’s most recent snapshot of household hardship shows a county where “survival” means spending every month on the basics—with little room for emergencies, savings, or long-term plans.
The 2026 State of ALICE in Florida report. analyzing data from 2024. found 155. 328 households in Miami-Dade County were considered to be in poverty. That is up from 145,803 in 2023. Another 408. 619 households met the requirements for ALICE. a category that stands for “Asset Limited. Income Constrained. Employed.” These are households that earn more than the federal poverty level but less than the basic cost of living for the county.
Together, ALICE households and households in poverty make up a large share of the county’s reality. In Miami-Dade, 41% of households were ALICE, compared with a state average of 34%. Fifteen percent were in poverty, compared with a state average of 12%.
Even within the same county, the strain can look dramatically different from one neighborhood to another. The report shows the percentage of households below the ALICE threshold ranged from 83% in both ZIP code 33142—serving parts of Brownsville—and ZIP code 33128—covering parts of Downton—to 15% in ZIP code 33158. which serves parts of Deering Bay.
United Way frames the underlying issue through a “survival budget. ” designed to reflect the minimum cost to live and work in the current economy. That budget includes housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, technology, and taxes. It does not include emergency savings or contributions to college or retirement.
In 2024, the report says household costs in every county in Florida were well above the federal poverty level. For reference, the federal poverty level was $15,060 for a single adult and $31,200 for a family of four.
For Miami-Dade County, the survival budget details how quickly expenses stack up. Housing for a single adult cost $1,892 per month, with food at $549 and transportation at $424. Healthcare added $189, bringing the monthly total—while not exhaustive—up to $3,982 when other necessities are factored in. The hourly wage for a single adult was $23.89, based on United Way’s household survival budget for the region.
The pressure increases for households with multiple adults and children, with household, food, and transportation costs rising further, and child care becoming an added requirement.
A simple takeaway is visible in the numbers the report lays out: when the survival budget is built from real monthly essentials and the federal poverty level sits far below those costs. “making it” depends less on whether someone works and more on whether their income keeps pace with the basic cost of living.
The report directs readers to a United Way Miami-Dade County data page for the full chart and breakdown.
Miami-Dade ALICE United Way poverty survival budget cost of living household hardship housing costs child care