According to UnitedForALICE.org’s 2025 report, it’s estimated that a family of four in our region needs a combined income of $99,730 just to meet basic needs like meals, housing, transportation, childcare, and utilities. In comparison, the median household income of Manatee County’s 190,091 households is $79,524, while it’s $77,705 in Sarasota and $50,868 in DeSoto.
If that sounds daunting, it is.
In fact, 42% of households in Manatee, 43% in Sarasota, and 59% in DeSoto qualify as either ALICE (Asset-Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) or poverty-level households. More than 40,000 of these are ALICE households – working parents or individuals who, despite employment, simply don’t earn enough to cover basic monthly expenses…