Number of ALICE — Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed — households in county cited as 73,865
The “survival budget” in Sarasota County for two adults with two children in child care in 2024 was $108,900, as noted in the 2026 ALICE Report released by the United Way Suncoast, based on the latest study of families in its service area.
ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.
The survival budget reflects what the report calls “the minimum cost to live and work in today’s economy,” including housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, technology and taxes, plus a 10% miscellaneous category.
For just two adults in a Sarasota County household in 2024, the survival budget was $60,528, the report added.
The stability budget for a Sarasota County household with two adults and two children in child care in 2024 was $147,516, the report also noted. For two adults, it was $100,056.
Yet, the average median income of a Sarasota County household in 2024 was $83,003, the report said. The state average was $77,735.
Further, the number of Sarasota County households in 2024 that were classified as being at the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) was 20,968, or 9% of the 225,791 counted, the 2026 ALICE Report pointed out.
The state average per county was 12%, the report said.
The number of Sarasota County ALICE households was 73,865, the report added, or 33% of the 2024 total. The state average was 34%, the report said.
Moreover, the report pointed out, 42% of Sarasota County households were below the ALICE threshold in 2024. For the state, the figure was estimated to be 47%, the report said. “That’s the fourth highest percentage in the nation,” it added.
“Households below the ALICE Threshold don’t have enough income to afford their basic needs,” the report stressed. “They were forced to make impossible choices,” such as “deciding whether to pay for utilities or a tank of gas; whether to buy food or fill a prescription; whether to live close to work or pay more for housing or opt for a longer, more costlier commute. And they are less likely to have the resources to cover unexpected household expenses,” it noted out, such as “an unforeseen car repair or a costly medical bill …” They also are less likely to be able to recover from crises, such as a natural disaster or the loss of a job or family member, the report added.
The United Way Suncoast’s service area comprises Sarasota, DeSoto, Hillsborough, Manatee and Pinellas counties, the report noted.
“The regional household survival budget” — for United Way Suncoast households — “is about $4,000 higher” than it was in the 2025 ALICE update, the report continued, “and far exceeds Florida’s statewide family survival budget of about $91,000.
“The findings also point to a region where affordability is shaping who can remain,” the United Way Suncoast said. Its “analysis shows household growth across the region slowed from the post-pandemic surge, while the cost of basic needs continued to rise. Hurricanes Helene and Milton added another layer of financial strain in 2024,” it continued, “particularly for households already living close to the edge.”
The U.S. Census area of Sarasota County with the highest percentage of households below the ALICE threshold, as shown via an interactive map in the report, was the Pinecraft community, whose residents are predominantly Amish and Mennonites. The figure was 87%. The second highest percentage — 66% — was indicated for the Nokomis Census area.
The portion of Sarasota County with the highest percentage of households in poverty was encompassed by the 34234 zip code, a chart showed. That is an area just north of downtown Sarasota, including Bayou Oaks and Amarylis Park, a map indicated. Of the 9,203 households, 57% were below the ALICE threshold and 1,694 were in poverty.
In comparison, in the city of Sarasota’s 34236 zip code — which includes downtown Sarasota, the Rosemary District, Bird Key and Lido and St. Armands keys — 38% of the 8,176 households were below the ALICE threshold in 2024, the report the interactive graphic showed.
For another comparison, in the portion of the county with the 34232 zip code — which includes the Sarasota Springs community east of the city — 44% of the 15,477 households were below the ALICE threshold, with 1,680 in poverty.
A review of the county area with the 34287 zip code, which includes most of North Port, found that 53% of the households were classified as being below the ALICE threshold.
A reflection on City of Sarasota data
Based on U.S. Census data, the report’s interactive graphic showed that for the city of Sarasota, the total number of households in 2024 was 25,751, with 3,503 in poverty and 49% below the ALICE threshold.
In a July 13 email to City Manager Karie Friling and Deputy City Manager Jennifer Jorgensen, Mayor Debbie Trice provided links to the 2026 report, adding, “I don’t believe the City residents who are thriving — or most of my fellow Commissioners — understand how expensive it is to ‘just get by’ in our City, and that many residents in the 100% AMI range are functioning with a ‘survival’ budget. (“AMI” refers to the Area Median income that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development — HUD — sets annually for each metropolitan statistical area — MSA — in the United States. Sarasota is included in an MSA with North Port and Bradenton.)
Trice added that if more of them did understand the situation, “I suspect they’d be more accepting of plans to include Affordable Housing Units in the 80-to-120% range.”
‘Housing costs especially challenging’
Among other details, the 2026 report explained, “Housing costs are especially challenging.” In 2024 in Florida, it said, 78% of all renter households below the ALICE threshold paid 30% or more of their income on rent and utilities. In fact, it added 49% of those households faced rents that “totaled half of their income or more.”
Further, it noted, 57% of all homeowner households were below the ALICE threshold, as they were paying 30% or more of their income for such expenses as mortgage payments, utilities, property taxes and homeowner’s insurance.
A section under the heading, “Who Is Struggling Most” notes the following for the United Way Suncoast region:
- “More than 272,000 adults age 65 and older in the five-county region live below the ALICE Threshold, making older adults the largest share of the struggling population by age. The continued growth in financially-struggling senior households underscores the need for community solutions that help older residents remain stable, connected, and supported.
- “Households led by adults ages 25 to 44 were the only age group in the region to see growth in the number of households below the ALICE Threshold from 2023 to 2024.
- “75% of households led by single mothers fall below the ALICE Threshold, compared with23% of married families.
- “31% of all families with children are single-parent families, showing that single-parent households are not an outlier.
- Black and Hispanic households continue to experience higher rates of financial hardship than white and Asian households.”
“The ALICE report gives us more than numbers,” Kourtney Sanchez, CEO of United Way Suncoast, said in the report. “It gives our region a clear picture of where families are struggling and where action is needed. United Way Suncoast will continue to lead, convene, and invest, but lasting change will take all of us,” Sanchez added.
The study for the 2026 report was “delivered in collaboration with research partner United for ALICE,” it said.
To learn more about the ALICE data and to access the interactive report, visit uwsalice.org.