Introduction:
ALICE – Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.
It refers to households that earn above the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) but cannot afford the basic cost of living in their county. Although ALICE households face financial hardship, they generally do not meet the criteria for public assistance.
The ALICE Household Survival Budget is the foundation of the ALICE research. This budget calculates the bare minimum cost of the household basics needed to live and work in the modern economy by household composition, in every county. It serves as the foundation for assessing if households in each county are above or below the ALICE Threshold.
Objective:
To automate the data download process to retrieve the ALICE Household Survival Budget data for all counties in the state of Indiana for the year 2022(latest).
Data Description:
API Endpoint: https://www.unitedforalice.org/api/survival-budget-calculator
Workflow:
Code and Files: Scrape-ALICE-budget-data
Visualizations:
Distribution of ALICE Household Budget Data in Selected County
Each pie chart represents the breakdown of the total household budget across different expenditure categories, such as housing, food, transportation, taxes and others. The larger pie chart provides an aggregated view of the total household budget and the smaller pie charts offer a more granular view.
Credit: Scraping ALICE Household Budget Data by Shiv-zz’s Workspace
Variations in ALICE Budget Categories: Indiana County Map
All counties require minimum $36.54/hour (State Average) for family of 4 (2 adults, 1 infant, 1 preschooler) to maintain living wage.
For a family of 4 (2 adults, 1 infant,
1 preschooler),
Cost of Living
- Highest Cost County: Hamilton ($45.40/hr, $90,804/year)Lowest Cost County: Pike ($34.40/hr, $68,808/year)
- Average Required Wage: $36.54/hr
- Major Cost Variations
- Housing: Ranges from $428 to $961 monthlyChild Care: Varies from $854 to $1,729Fixed Costs Across Counties:
- Utilities: $310
- Transportation: $1,048
- Healthcare: $677
- Geographic Pattern: Counties like Hamilton and Marion show higher costs and wages compared to rural counties like Greene and Switzerland.
- Higher Costs: Metropolitan areas, especially near Indianapolis
- Lower Costs: Rural and Southern counties
- Wage Gap: $11.00/hour difference between highest and lowest counties.
Central Indiana Analysis:
- Marion County (Indianapolis) needs $39.25/hour ($78,492 annually) for a living wage, above the state average
- Hamilton County leads with the highest costs ($45.40/hour, $90,804/year)
- “High-cost ring” exists around Indianapolis with surrounding counties all requiring $39-45/hour
- Major cost drivers: expensive housing in Hamilton ($961/month), high childcare in Morgan ($1,729/month)
- Overall, Central Indiana requires significantly higher wages than rural areas, with a minimum of $39/hour needed for a family of four
Summary:
Through an automated data download script and interactive visualizations, the project provides clear insights into ALICE household statistics and county-wise variations, thus assisting stakeholders in making informed decisions.
Team Members
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Hasaranga Dilshan Jayathilake | Lead Data Analyst |
| Supraja Pericherla | Lead Data Analyst |
| Hari Shivani Gudi | Data Analyst |
| Mounya Inampudi | Data Analyst |
| Srujan Manepally | UI/UX Designer |
| Rutika Chandrashekhar Bangera | Web Developer |
| Daniel Cheruiyot | Project Manager |