MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – United Way of Marquette County has released this year’s ALICE Report, or Asset Limited, Income Constrained, & Employed.
New data from United For ALICE reveals that 43% of households in Marquette County struggle to get by, especially as the cost of basics has risen over time. This comes from a combination of households in poverty and ALICE households, finding Marquette County fell below the ALICE threshold of Financial Survival in 2024, and is now up from 41% in 2023. According to the report, poverty levels of in the county remained the same from last year, at 17%.
“For every ten houses you drive by here, four of those will likely be struggling month-to-month,” said Andrew Rickauer, executive director of United Way Marquette County.
On Thursday afternoon, local leaders and volunteers met at Marquette-Alger RESA to explore this year’s reports findings and collaborate on solutions.
“It’s our community, everybody plays a part in it, and it’s going to take more than one group to solve it,” said Rickauer. “We need to be willing to have these open conversations and have the data to give us a baseline to make it better.”
For more statewide ALICE information, visit unitedforalice.org. For volunteer opportunities, visit uwmqt.org.
