ELKINS – The cost of household necessities in West Virginia has risen faster than inflation for more than 15 years, leaving many households financially vulnerable, according to a new statewide report from United For ALICE, in partnership with the United Ways of West Virginia.

The report points to the growing financial strains on the demographic known as ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed). With income above the Federal Poverty Level but unable to afford basic expenses, 204,987 West Virginia households were designated as ALICE in 2024. When combined with households in poverty, 45% of all households in West Virginia fell below the ALICE Threshold of Financial Survival.

“Behind these numbers are families making impossible choices every day — between groceries and utilities, child care and rent,” said Brett White, Tygart Valley United Way CEO. “The ALICE data helps guide our work with partners across West Virginia, so we can respond to immediate needs and help build stronger paths to stability.”

The latest State of ALICE report for West Virginia includes data from the ALICE Essentials Index, which tracks the rising costs of six basics families need to live and work: housing, child care, food, transportation, health care and technology. 

Between 2007 and 2024, the ALICE Essentials Index for West Virginia increased 65%, compared with 52% for the broader Consumer Price Index (CPI), which reports inflation across more than 200 categories of goods and services, the report states.

“The ALICE research shows that the affordability crisis is not new,” said Stephanie Hoopes, Ph.D., National Director at United For ALICE. “Already stretched thin, ALICE families have no cushion for rising gas or utility costs — forcing tough tradeoffs with other necessities. That’s the insight policymakers and community leaders need to build a stronger future for ALICE and all.”

The report highlights the gap between wages and expenses for ALICE families. In 2024, a family of four in West Virginia needed $78,156 just to cover the essentials — more than two times the Federal Poverty Level of $31,200, according to the report. Yet even with both parents working full time in two of the state’s most common jobs — a cook and a teller — this family’s combined income still fell short of the cost of basics by $23,333.

The report also states that in 2024:

West Virginia ranked 46th in financial hardship among all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, with one of the nation’s highest percentages of households struggling to make ends meet.

ALICE households were found in every major industry statewide, with the highest levels of hardship in food service and accommodation (48%), retail trade (39%), and other services except public administration (27%).

Minimum-wage workers in West Virginia were paid an hourly wage of $8.75 in 2024, unchanged since 2015. Yet for one full-time adult worker with one school-age child, that wage still was not enough to support the ALICE Household Survival Budget, the minimum cost of basics, in any county across West Virginia, according to the report.

More state and local data is available through the interactive dashboards on UnitedForALICE.org/West-Virginia.