Definition

This indicator shows the number and percentage of households in each group with incomes:

• At or below the Federal Poverty Level (Poverty)

• Income above the Federal Poverty Level but below what is needed to afford the cost of basic expenses (ALICE)

• Income at or above the cost of basics (Above ALICE)

County data included are the years 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023. The poverty level is defined by the official poverty level. The ALICE group of households earned above the federal poverty level but below the minimum income level necessary to afford a bare-minimum household budget and was adjusted for household size and composition for each county. For more information on methodology, see the ALICE Research Methodology Overview.

Data Source

ALICE in Maine: A study of financial hardship was compiled by United Ways of Maine in partnership with United for ALICE, a U.S. research organization, and was funded by the John T. Gorman Foundation.

Notes

This data is about households, not specifically families, so it includes households with adults living without children in the home. Data for households by Maine counties can be downloaded from the first graph at number of households. (Click the download icon at the bottom right-hand side of the graph.)

Last Updated

2025-10