A 2022 report by the United Way of Greater Houston found that 15% of households in Houston live in poverty. The state average is 14%.

The setup

United Way is a nonprofit organization that creates opportunities for people dealing with financial struggles, health concerns and employment. The national organization created "United for ALICE" in New Jersey in 2009 and spread to Houston in 2018.

United for ALICE is a research organization that aims to improve the lives of financially challenged households. ALICE is an acronym that stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained and Employed.

Every two years, United Way releases an ALICE report that provides data on ALICE households per state, county and ZIP code level.


ALICE households, according to the nonprofit's website, are households that live above the federal poverty line but cannot cover the rising cost of all of their essential needs, such as housing, health care and food.

Breaking it down

According to the most recent 2022 study, the percentage of ALICE households in the Greater Houston area is 32% or roughly 725,000 households, which is a 1% increase from 2021.

In Harris County, the percentage of ALICE households is in line with Houston at 32%, with 15% of households living below the poverty line. The federal poverty line in 2022 was $13,590 for a single individual. In 2024, the number rose to $15,060. According to the ALICE report, the median household income in Harris County in 2022 was $68,706 per year, just below the state average at $72,284.


The report also studied the demographics, household type and age of those at or below the ALICE Threshold, which includes households both below the FPL and those at ALICE. Households at the ALICE Threshold by race show:
  • Asian: 33,862
  • Black or African American: 167,370
  • Hispanic: 301,935
  • White: 151,045
  • Two or more races: 146,425
There were also differences in financial hardships by household type and age of the house owner. According to United for ALICE, the highest percentages that were below the threshold were single, female head of households with children at 82% and homeowners under 25 years old at 77%.

In comparison

According to the Household Survival Budget in 2022, the bare-minimum costs of basic necessities—such as housing, child care, food, transportation and health care—in every county in Texas was well above the federal poverty level of $13,590 for a single adult and $27,750 for a family of four.

For a single adult to make at least $34,008 annually to cover basic costs, the average wage would need to be $17 an hour. For two adults and two children, a household would need to make at least $86,820 a year or $43.41 an hour. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median household income in Houston from 2019 to 2023 was $62,894.


Stay tuned

The 2025 United Way for ALICE report is expected to be released this year and will include the primary report based on 2023 data.