Southwest Virginian’s Work Hard, But Struggle With Basic Cost Of Living Expenses

A report authorized by the United Way of Southwest Virginia shows an alarming number of residents in the region earn more than the official Federal Poverty Level, but not enough to cover basic cost of living expenses. The ALICE Report shows a comprehensive picture of the financial needs of Southwest Virginia. In 2018, 51 percent of southwest Virginia households lived in poverty or were considered ALICE, which stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. That’s compared to 39 percent of households in the rest of the Commonwealth. Southwest Virginia accounted for 13 percent of households in poverty and eight percent of ALICE households.