Study shows 48 percent of Warren County households struggle financially
LISA HOBBS - News Editor
A report released by the United Ways of Tennessee has determined that of the 16,203 households in Warren County, 5,326 are the working poor and an additional 2,396 fall below the poverty level.
United Ways of Tennessee launched a state-wide data project called ALICE, which stands for Asset, Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. It provides a comprehensive measure of financial hardship across the state. The 2026 report is based on information gathered in 2024.
ALICE households earn more than the Federal Poverty Level, but less than the basic cost of living for the county. Households below the ALICE threshold struggle financially, especially as wages fail to keep pace with rising cost of household essentials (housing, childcare, food, transportation, health care, and a basic smartphone plan). In Warren County, the study found that 5,326 of its households fall into that category.
There were also differences in financial hardship by household type and age of householder.
Household type: 71 percent of single-male-headed (with children) live below the ALICE threshold, 68 percent of single-female-headed (with children) live below the ALICE threshold, 45 percent of single or cohabiting (no children) live below the ALICE threshold, and 25 percent of the married (with children) live below the ALICE threshold.
Age: 60 percent of ages 25 and under live below the ALICE threshold, 57 percent of 65 years and over live below the ALICE threshold, 46 percent of 45 to 64 years of age live below the ALICE threshold, and 40 percent of 25 to 44 years of age live below the ALICE threshold.
The study provided a “Household Survival Budget,” which reflects the minimum cost to live and work in the current economy and included housing, childcare, food, transportation, healthcare, technology, and taxes. A single adult had to make $13.51 per hour, one adult and one child $18.52 per hour, one adult with one child in childcare $20.05 per hour, two adults $19.43 per hour, two adults with two children $30.49 per hour, two adults with two children in childcare $33.55 per hour, single adult 65 years and older $15.22 per hour, and two adults 65 years and older $22.98 per hour.
The study determined that Household Survival Budget costs exceeded wages of common jobs. The core issue is the gap between household income and what families need to make ends meet.
The study also found that 2,396 of Warren County’s households are living below the poverty level. Combining the two categories means 7,722 households in the county struggle financially, which makes up 48 percent of the total households in the community; that is above the state’s number. According to the study, 28 percent of the state’s 2,882,467 households fall into the ALICE category and 14 percent live below the poverty level, a combined 41 percent.
ALICE in the labor force: of the 10 largest industry sectors (by total workers), financial hardship was highest in Accommodation and Food Services, with 40 percent of workers living in households below the ALICE threshold. By occupation, rates of financial hardship were as high as 50 percent for cooks and 50 percent for cashiers, two of the most common occupations in the state.