In 2023, based on the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), 10% of Virginia households were defined as being in poverty. Yet this measure failed to account for an additional 28% of the state’s households — nearly three times as many — that were also experiencing financial hardship. These households are ALICE: Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed — earning above the FPL, but not enough to afford basic expenses in the county where they live. Between ALICE households and households living in poverty, an estimated 39% of households in Virginia were below the ALICE Threshold in 2023. This rate placed Virginia 19th among all states and the District of Columbia (with 1st representing the lowest rate of hardship). Households below the Threshold are forced to make impossible choices — like deciding whether to pay for utilities or a car repair, whether to buy food or fill a prescription.