The number of Hamilton County families facing financial hardship has increased in recent years, from 37% in 2010 to 39% by 2017, according to a new study by the United Ways of Tennessee.
More than 30 United Ways from across the state worked with local partners to assess the number of Tennessee households that did not meet federal poverty guidelines but were asset limited, income constrained and employed, also known as the ALICE threshold. The report is a project of United For ALICE, which includes 600 United Ways across the country.
In 2010, ALICE and poverty-level households made up 37% of Hamilton County households compared to 39% in 2017. While the number of households living below the poverty line has gone from 14% to 13% in that time frame, the number of ALICE households has gone from 23% to 26%.
A single person in Hamilton County would need to earn $10.08 an hour, or at least $20,160 per year, in order to live and work in the county today. A family of four that includes one infant and one preschooler would need to earn a combined $54,624 annually, or $27.31 an hour, to meet household needs.
These numbers do not include savings for emergencies or future goals like college, according to the report.