ALICE & the Dental Divide
Access to dental care is about more than brushing and checkups—it’s deeply connected to where people live, what they earn, and whether basic supports are within reach. A new issue brief, ALICE and the Dental Divide in Minnesota, reveals how financial hardship and community-level factors combine to widen oral health gaps across the state, particularly in rural communities.
Meet Alice
Who is ALICE?
ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. United Ways of Minnesota launched the ALICE data project to provide a comprehensive measure of financial hardship across our state.
The ALICE report sheds light on the true extent of financial hardships in our community. While ALICE represents the growing number of individuals and families that are living above the Federal Poverty Level, ALICE still cannot afford basic necessities on their income alone. Living paycheck to paycheck, ALICE is one crisis from falling behind.
Alice In Our Community
Itasca County households move below or above the ALICE Threshold as economic factors and circumstances change. By 2024, 7,042 households (38%) were below the ALICE Threshold. Broken down, this includes 2,317 households living in poverty and another 4,725 defined as ALICE.
Report
ALICE in Minnesota
To better understand who ALICE is and the issues affecting them, United Way of 1000 Lakes, partners with United for ALICE to produce the “ALICE in Minnesota: A Study of Financial Hardship” report based on local research about these households. Equipped with quantifiable data that provides insight into the challenges facing ALICE, our community can better respond to the needs of ALICE.
Delve into the report that reveals the real-world struggles, the economic realities, and the specific needs of the ALICE population in our region. It also helps us understand our collective role to help improve conditions for ALICE in our community.