New survey results validate that many working families in greater Naples struggle against rising household costs as wages don’t keep up with inflation.
The latest report from the nonprofit United for ALICE shows 40% of households in Collier County are challenged to meet higher costs for running a household. The report is based on 2024 data.
The findings are an improvement from two years ago when 42% of Collier households struggled, based on 2022 data.
Collier County has been plagued for years with high housing costs that has lead to many working parents to commute from nearby Lee County, which has lower housing costs for rentals.
Today a family of four in Collier needs an annual income of $106,776 for a basic household “survival budget.” That’s more than three times the federal poverty level of $31,200 for a family of four, according to the nonprofit Alice findings.
That scenario includes two children enrolled in child care programs at a cost of $1,875 a month.
For a family of four in Collier with two children not enrolled in child care, a survival budget needed is $7,520 a month after taxes or income of $90,240 annually.
Overall Florida ranks 47th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia for families facing financial hardships.
What is ALICE?
The nonprofit ALICE, based in New Jersey, examines household budgets and costs on behalf of United Way agencies in 31 states,
ALICE is an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.
It is used as an alternative to federal poverty level guidelines, in part because earnings may be above poverty guidelines but are not enough to cover basic expenses.
It involves standardized measurements to quantify what is needed for a basic household budget, and how many households struggle to get by.
In Collier, 11% of families live below federal poverty guidelines yet another 29% that do not fall within poverty levels cannot afford household necessities, according to the data.
In total, nearly 68,500 Collier households are hard pressed to afford basic necessities despite employment.
Tiffani Mensch, president and chief executive officer of United Way of Collier and the Keys, said the findings reflect the reality of many local families.
“We use this data to guide our work with partners so we can meet immediate needs while building longer-term pathways to stability,” she said.
The United Way is investing $600,000 in grants to support 46 nonprofit organizations across Collier and Monroe counties this year.
For the year ending March 31, 2025, the United Way had net assets of $6.6 million and brought in $4 million in contributions, according to its financials. It spent $3.7 million in program services.
What to know about ALICE
The nonprofit ALICE has introduced an “essentials index” which tracks the cost of six basic necessities: housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, and technology.
The gap between wages and expenses remains significant, according to the index.
A household in Collier, a married couple with two children who are not enrolled in child care, needs $7,520 a month to survive based on wages of $45 an hour.
A breakdown of expenses is $2,046 for housing, $625 for child expenses, $1,723 for food, $869 for transportation, $900 for health care, $131 for technology, $629 for miscellaneous expenses and $597 for taxes.
For a family of four with two children enrolled in child care programs, the budget needed to survive changes with child care costs of $1,875 a month, food at $1,530 and miscellaneous costs at $734 a month.
More state and local data is available through the interactive dashboards at UnitedForALICE.org/Florida.
To learn more about United Way of Collier and the Keys, visit uwcollierkeys.org.
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Liz Freeman is a health care reporter. Reach her by emailing lfreeman@naplesnews.com
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This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Rising household costs leave 40% of Collier families behind
Reporting by Liz Freeman, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Naples Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Liz Freeman, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News | USA TODAY Network
