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• Poster - ​​ALICE Survival and Stability Budgets
• Poster - ​Kansas Households Living Below the ALICE Survival Budget
• Poster - Household Financial Hardship by Key Demographic Group in Kansas
• Poster - Kansas Workers in Common Occupations Living Below the ALICE Survival Budget

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ALICE Survival and Stability Budgets

What This Measures:

Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) Household Survival Budget and Stability Budget for a Kansas household. The Survival Budget estimates the bare minimum cost of household essentials to live and work. The Stability Budget adds additional costs needed for a financially stable household.

More than half (55.3 percent or $38,220) of the Survival Budget was needed to cover food, child care and housing costs for this family of four.

Survival and Stability Budgets for a Kansas Family of Two Adults and Two Children in Child Care, 2024

Survival Budget:

• Housing, $12,312
• Child Care, $11,064
• Food, $14,844
• Transportation, $9,612
• Health Care, $9,180
• Technology, $1,512
• Miscellaneous, $5,856
• Taxes, $4,728
• Total, $69,108

Stability Budget:

• Housing, $18,672
• Child Care, $13,392
• Food, $24,636
• Transportation, $17,196
• Health Care, $10,032
• Technology, $1,512
• Miscellaneous, $8,544
• Tax Payments, $12,180
• Savings, $8,544
• Total, $114,708

Federal Poverty Level for Family of 4, $31,200

ALICE Survival Budget and FPL Difference, $37,908

ALICE Stability and Survival Budget Difference, $45,600

Note: Survival and Stability Budgets can vary by location and household type. Across Kansas, the annual Survival Budget for a family with two adults and two children (infant and preschool age) in child care ranges from $63,324 (Stanton County) to $90,564 (Johnson County). For the same household type, the annual Stability Budget ranges from $104,808 (Clark County) to $137,640 (Johnson County). A miscellaneous category of 10 percent of budget is for emergencies and other needs. These budgets do not include debt, auto repairs, cable service, travel, laundry costs or items such as holiday gifts or dinners at restaurants. Housing cost estimates use 110 percent of Fair Market Rent. Transportation costs include minimum-liability car insurance. Taxes include federal and state income taxes and available tax credits, assuming a salary equal to the respective ALICE budget total.

Source: Kansas Health Institute analysis of the United for ALICE Household Survival and Stability Budgets, 2024; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Poverty Guidelines, 2024.

Narrative Source: United for ALICE (2026) in The State of ALICE in Kansas.

More than a third of Kansas households earn less than the ALICE Survival Budget and cannot afford basic needs, such as food, housing and health care. ALICE families may work full time, earning above the federal poverty level, yet struggle to earn enough income to pay for key expenses such as child care.

Funding and Support Provided by:

• United Way
• Blue Cross and BlueShield Kansas
• Kansas Health Foundation

Analysis and Design by:

• Kansas Health Institute

Kansas Households Living Below the ALICE Survival Budget

What This Measures:

Percentage of households below the Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) Household Survival Budget. This budget estimates the bare minimum cost of household essentials to live and work.

In 97 of 105 Kansas counties at least 3 in 10 households earned below the Survival Budget.

Percent of Kansas Households Below the Survival Budget, 2024

• Kansas Overall 35.9%
• Less than 30.0% (8 Counties)
• 30.0%-34.9% (23 Counties)
• 35.0%-39.9% (37 Counties)
• 40.0% or More (37 Counties)

By County:

• Allen 42.2%
• Anderson 38.7%
• Atchison 45.5%
• Barber 34.2%
• Barton 42.9%
• Bourbon 44.7%
• Brown 40.1%
• Butler 33.1%
• Chase 38.1%
• Chautauqua 45.9%
• Cherokee 44.8%
• Cheyenne 41.3%
• Clark 36.9%
• Clay 32.8%
• Cloud 41.2%
• Coffey 33.9%
• Comanche 38.6%
• Cowley 44.7%
• Crawford 47.6%
• Decatur 41.9%
• Dickinson 31.6%
• Doniphan 39.0%
• Douglas 35.8%
• Edwards 48.7%
• Elk 40.5%
• Ellis 39.3%
• Ellsworth 35.6%
• Finney 37.3%
• Ford 39.7%
• Franklin 35.7%
• Geary 44.7%
• Gove 38.4%
• Graham 43.3%
• Grant 32.7%
• Gray 33.8%
• Greeley 24.8%
• Greenwood 38.5%
• Hamilton 41.1%
• Harper 48.7%
• Harvey 34.6%
• Haskell 35.0%
• Hodgeman 34.0%
• Jackson 35.8%
• Jefferson 29.8%
• Jewell 48.1%
• Johnson 26.4%
• Kearny 25.5%
• Kingman 38.8%
• Kiowa 30.9%
• Labette 44.2%
• Lane 29.3%
• Leavenworth 36.1%
• Lincoln 40.4%
• Linn 46.1%
• Logan 32.3%
• Lyon 39.0%
• Marion 37.2%
• Marshall 39.0%
• McPherson 31.2%
• Meade 37.2%
• Miami 34.2%
• Mitchell 37.8%
• Montgomery 43.3%
• Morris 42.3%
• Morton 43.6%
• Nemaha 34.2%
• Neosho 44.0%
• Ness 32.0%
• Norton 47.2%
• Osage 33.3%
• Osborne 40.0%
• Ottawa 34.7%
• Pawnee 46.5%
• Phillips 39.8%
• Pottawatomie 28.8%
• Pratt 41.4%
• Rawlins 34.5%
• Reno 41.4%
• Republic 44.6%
• Rice 39.6%
• Riley 46.5%
• Rooks 30.9%
• Rush 39.8%
• Russell 37.2%
• Saline 37.4%
• Scott 36.2%
• Sedgwick 37.7%
• Seward 47.3%
• Shawnee 32.5%
• Sheridan 36.2%
• Sherman 39.2%
• Smith 39.2%
• Stafford 39.1%
• Stanton 25.6%
• Stevens 34.7%
• Sumner 39.5%
• Thomas 32.7%
• Trego 29.2%
• Wabaunsee 30.4%
• Wallace 36.1%
• Washington 38.5%
• Wichita 39.3%
• Wilson 41.9%
• Woodson 50.8%
• Wyandotte 46.0%

Note: Total number of Kansas households in 2024 was 1,189,214. The map represents the percentage of households in each county that were unable to meet their estimated household Survival Budget.

Source: Kansas Health Institute analysis of the United for ALICE Household Survival Budget, 2024.

Narrative Source: United for ALICE (2026) in The State of ALICE in Kansas.

Financial hardship affects households in every county in Kansas, but the percentage of households below the Survival Budget varies across the state. Local differences in employment opportunities, wages, housing costs, household characteristics and other economic factors contribute to these variations.

Funding and Support Provided by:

• United Way
• Blue Cross and BlueShield Kansas
• Kansas Health Foundation

Analysis and Design by:

• Kansas Health Institute

Household Financial Hardship by Key Demographic Group in Kansas

What This Measures:

Percentage of households below and above the Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) Household Survival Budget by age, race, ethnicity and household composition. ALICE households earn less than the bare minimum to cover the cost of household essentials to live and work in the modern economy but more than the federal poverty level (FPL).

More than two-thirds (71.5 percent) of single-female-headed households earned below the Survival Budget.

Household Financial Hardship by Key Demographic Group in Kansas, 2024

All Households (1,189,214)

• Below the poverty line: 11%
• Between the poverty line and the ALICE Survival Budget: 24%
• Above the ALICE Survival Budget: 64%

Age

• Under 25 Years (74,456)
  • Below the poverty line: 33%
  • Between the poverty line and the ALICE Survival Budget: 32%
  • Above the ALICE Survival Budget: 35%

• 25 to 44 Years (392,590)
  • Below the poverty line: 11%
  • Between the poverty line and the ALICE Survival Budget: 19%
  • Above the ALICE Survival Budget: 70%
• 45 to 64 Years (392,576)
  • Below the poverty line: 9%
  • Between the poverty line and the ALICE Survival Budget: 20%
  • Above the ALICE Survival Budget: 71%
• 65 Years and Over (329,592)
  • Below the poverty line: 10%
  • Between the poverty line and the ALICE Survival Budget: 34%
  • Above the ALICE Survival Budget: 56%

Race and Ethnicity

• American Indian/Alaska Native (7,730)
  • Below the poverty line: 13%
  • Between the poverty line and the ALICE Survival Budget: 30%
  • Above the ALICE Survival Budget: 57%
• Asian (30,223)
  • Below the poverty line: 10%
  • Between the poverty line and the ALICE Survival Budget: 24%
  • Above the ALICE Survival Budget: 67%

• Black (61,427)
  • Below the poverty line: 16%
  • Between the poverty line and the ALICE Survival Budget: 40%
  • Above the ALICE Survival Budget: 44%
• Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (919)
  • Below the poverty line: 6%
  • Between the poverty line and the ALICE Survival Budget: 30%
  • Above the ALICE Survival Budget: 64%
• Two or More Races (89,864)
  • Below the poverty line: 9%
  • Between the poverty line and the ALICE Survival Budget: 34%
  • Above the ALICE Survival Budget: 57%
• Hispanic (113,966)
  • Below the poverty line: 9%
  • Between the poverty line and the ALICE Survival Budget: 35%
  • Above the ALICE Survival Budget: 57%
• White, Non-Hispanic (923,731)
  • Below the poverty line: 6%
  • Between the poverty line and the ALICE Survival Budget: 27%
  • Above the ALICE Survival Budget: 67%

Household Type

• Single-Female-Headed With Children (65,327)
  • Below the poverty line: 39%
  • Between the poverty line and the ALICE Survival Budget: 32%
  • Above the ALICE Survival Budget: 29%
• Single-Male-Headed With Children (25,913)
  • Below the poverty line: 15%
  • Between the poverty line and the ALICE Survival Budget: 28%
  • Above the ALICE Survival Budget: 57%
• Single or Cohabitating, Under 65, No Children (538,809)
  • Below the poverty line: 11%
  • Between the poverty line and the ALICE Survival Budget: 24%
  • Above the ALICE Survival Budget: 64%
• Married With Children (229,573)
  • Below the poverty line: 5%
  • Between the poverty line and the ALICE Survival Budget: 9%
  • Above the ALICE Survival Budget: 87%

Note: The total number of Kansas Households in 2024 was 1,189,214. Annual income below $15,000 is used as a proxy for household poverty for race and ethnicity categories due to data availability. Race and ethnicity data are not mutually exclusive unless specified. The American Community Survey defines a "single-headed household with children" as a female- or male-headed household with children under the age of 18 with no spouse present. Some values do not add up to 100 percent due to rounding.

Source: Kansas Health Institute adaptation of Figure 6 in The State of ALICE in Kansas: 2026 Update on Financial Hardship.

Narrative Source: United for ALICE (2026) in The State of ALICE in Kansas.

Financial hardship affects households in every demographic group in Kansas, but the likelihood of living in an ALICE household varies across age, race, ethnicity, household composition and geography. Longstanding economic and social conditions that influence access to employment, education, housing and other opportunities contribute to differences in financial hardship across demographic groups.

Funding and Support Provided by:

• United Way
• Blue Cross and BlueShield Kansas
• Kansas Health Foundation

Analysis and Design by:

• Kansas Health Institute

Kansas Workers in Common Occupations Living Below the ALICE Survival Budget

What This Measures:

Occupations with the highest number of workers living in households below the Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) Household Survival Budget, with median hourly and annual wages.

Workers in many of Kansas' most common occupations lived below the Survival Budget.

Common Kansas Occupations With the Highest Number of Workers Living in Households Below the Survival Budget, 2024

• Janitors and Building Cleaners ($14.64/hr, $30,451/yr)
  • Below Survival Budget: 12,103 (50%)
  • Total Workers in 2024: 24,206
• Cashiers ($12.69/hr, $26,395/yr)
  • Below Survival Budget: 11,195 (45%)
  • Total Workers in 2024: 24,878
• Cooks ($14.15/hr, $29,432/yr)
  • Below Survival Budget: 8,888 (47%)
  • Total Workers in 2024: 18,910
• Laborers and Freight, Stock and Material Movers, [by] Hand ($19.52/hr, $40,602/yr)
  • Below Survival Budget: 8,685 (36%)
  • Total Workers in 2024: 24,125
• Driver/Sales Workers and Truck Drivers ($26.85/hr, $55,848/yr)
  • Below Survival Budget: 8,467 (23%)
  • Total Workers in 2024: 36,813
• Waiters and Waitresses ($17.08/hr, $35,526/yr)
  • Below Survival Budget: 7,284 (48%)
  • Total Workers in 2024: 15,176
• Stockers and Order Fillers ($14.64/hr, $30,451/yr)
  • Below Survival Budget: 7,166 (37%)
  • Total Workers in 2024: 19,367
• Nursing Assistants ($17.08/hr, $35,526/yr)
  • Below Survival Budget: 6,557 (34%)
  • Total Workers in 2024: 19,286
• Retail Salesperson ($22.70/hr, $47,216/yr)
  • Below Survival Budget: 6,064 (27%)
  • Total Workers in 2024: 22,461
• Teaching Assistants ($11.71/hr, $24,357/yr)
  • Below Survival Budget: 5,816 (30%)
  • Total Workers in 2024: 19,386

Note: "Occupations" include the 10 occupations with the highest number of employees whose total household incomes are below the Survival Budget, out of the Kansas occupations with the 20 highest number of employees. Median hourly and annual wage data include any tip income. Annual wage is calculated as 2,080 hours of work per year (40 hours per week for 52 weeks). Survival Budget varies by household composition and location.

Source: Kansas Health Institute analysis of the United for ALICE Household Survival Budget, 2024.

Narrative Source: United for ALICE (2026) in The State of ALICE in Kansas.

Employment in a high-demand occupation does not necessarily mean a household can afford their basic needs. The Survival Budget is based on household composition and local costs. Workers in the same occupation may have different levels of financial security based on their household income and composition. Statewide, 35.9 percent of Kansas households earn less than the Survival Budget.

Funding and Support Provided by:

• United Way
• Blue Cross and BlueShield Kansas
• Kansas Health Foundation

Analysis and Design by:

• Kansas Health Institute