United Way of Northwest Illinois
ALICE & 211 in Northwest Illinois
A paycheck does not always cover the essentials. Explore financial hardship in Stephenson, Jo Daviess and Carroll counties and find a starting point for local support.
A connection to local support
Need help? Start with 211.
Call 211 or text your ZIP code to 898211 to connect with resources for food, housing, utilities, health care and other essential needs. The service is free, confidential and available 24 hours a day.
211 connects you with resources. Program eligibility, funding and availability vary.
Our three-county community
ALICE household data by county
These figures show households with income below the cost of basic living expenses: ALICE households plus households in poverty. Open each county's details to see the breakdown and explore the official data tools.
2024 household data · Published in the 2026 United For ALICE Illinois report · Percentages rounded to one decimal.
Stephenson County
37.3%
of households were below the ALICE Threshold.
7,215 households
Out of 19,358 total households.
Explore Stephenson County
ALICE households
4,706
Households in poverty
2,509
Select Stephenson County in the ALICE tool. For 211 data, open a dashboard, select the county and choose a reporting period.
Jo Daviess County
31.8%
of households were below the ALICE Threshold.
3,302 households
Out of 10,391 total households.
Explore Jo Daviess County
ALICE households
2,443
Households in poverty
859
Select Jo Daviess County in the ALICE tool. For 211 data, open a dashboard, select the county and choose a reporting period.
Carroll County
39.8%
of households were below the ALICE Threshold.
2,616 households
Out of 6,578 total households.
Explore Carroll County
ALICE households
1,813
Households in poverty
803
Select Carroll County in the ALICE tool. For 211 data, open a dashboard, select the county and choose a reporting period.
Stronger together
Three counties. One united community.
13,133
Households below the ALICE Threshold across Stephenson, Jo Daviess and Carroll counties in 2024.
That is 36.2% of the region's 36,327 households. Behind every number is a neighbor. Together, we can turn understanding into action and build a stronger Northwest Illinois.
Combined total: 8,962 ALICE households + 4,171 households in poverty. This measures financial hardship, not the number of households served by United Way or 211.
The story behind the numbers
What does ALICE mean?
ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. These households earn more than the Federal Poverty Level but less than the cost of essential expenses where they live.
The ALICE Household Survival Budget accounts for housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, technology and taxes. Costs vary by location and household size.
ALICE and poverty are separate categories.
Together, they make up the households below the ALICE Threshold. The threshold is an income measure; it is not a count of assistance applications.
Explore the data. Find your next step.
ALICE Budget and Income Status Tool
Explore how household income compares with the cost of basics for your location and household type.
Illinois Household Survival Budgets
See how essential expenses vary across Illinois counties and household compositions.
211 Illinois data dashboards
Explore recorded needs, contact trends and referrals. Select a county and reporting period in the dashboard.
211 data describes help-seeking activity. It does not measure every household in need or identify every caller as ALICE.
Assistance application (PDF)
Review the assistance application and its instructions before submitting your request.
Applying does not guarantee assistance.
Put yourself in a neighbor's shoes
Experience the ALICE Simulation
Explore the difficult financial decisions a household can face when income does not cover basic expenses.
Sources & reporting notes
- United For ALICE: Illinois county reports and 2026 Illinois Data Sheet (Excel). Figures above use the 2024 county household estimates. Regional totals are calculated by adding the three county counts; the regional percentage uses the combined household total.
- 211 Illinois dashboards use their own selected reporting periods and metric definitions. Contacts, needs and referrals are different measures and should not be added together as unique people or households.