NEW ORLEANS – In 2022, 56% of Southeast Louisiana children lived in households that couldn’t afford the basics, according to new data from United Way of Southeast Louisiana (UWSELA) and its research partner United For ALICE.
“ALICE in Focus: Children” reveals that traditional measures of poverty have severely undercounted the number of children ages 18 and younger who are growing up in financially insecure households in Southeast Louisiana, including Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington parishes. While 25% of all children in the region lived in poverty in 2022, the new data shows that another 31% lived in families defined as ALICE® (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed). ALICE households earn more than the Federal Poverty Level but less than the basic costs of housing, child care, food, transportation, health care and technology, plus taxes.
The research also shows that the 56% of children in 2022 who were below the ALICE Threshold – consisting of ALICE households and households in poverty combined – was largely unchanged from 57% in 2019, though the number of children living below the poverty line decreased slightly.
Because ALICE households often earn too much to qualify for public assistance, the data finds that in 2022, more than 87,000 children in struggling families didn’t access the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
“Undercounting the number of children living in hardship in our state masks the true scale of the issue and hinders our ability to provide the necessary support and resources,” said Michael Williamson, UWSELA president and CEO. “Without these, our children are at risk of falling behind in school, facing health issues and missing out on opportunities to flourish as they grow.”
“ALICE in Focus: Children” is part of the ALICE in Focus Research Series, which draws from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) Public Use Microdata Sample. Each installment in the series highlights a specific population within the ALICE demographic. Topics have included people with disabilities and veterans.
“ALICE in Focus: Children” also reveals that in 2022:
● Hardship varied widely across the state, ranging from a low of 45% in Regional Planning Commission 1–St. Tammany Parish (Northwest) to a high of 74% in Regional Planning Commission 7–New Orleans City (Central).
● Racial disparities persisted, with 75% of Black and 62% of Hispanic children in Southeast Louisiana living in households below the ALICE Threshold, compared with 33% of white children.
● Having two working parents didn’t guarantee financial stability: Among all Southeast Louisiana households with two working adults, 33% of children, nearly 30,000, were still growing up in hardship.
● 41,025 children in households earning below the ALICE Threshold had no high-speed internet access at home.
“To unlock a brighter future for every child, we’ve got to aim higher than the poverty level,” said United For ALICE National Director Stephanie Hoopes, Ph.D. “Together we are working to make the ALICE Threshold the minimum standard for child well-being.”
More state and local data is available through the interactive ALICE in Focus: Children Data Dashboard – which provides filters for regional and local geographies, age, race, disability status, living arrangements and household work status. Visit //UnitedForALICE.org/Focus-
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