Report: Almost half of households in Sarasota-Manatee region live paycheck-to-paycheck

[Zorro]

Almost half of all families in the Suncoast region struggled to keep their heads above water through the pandemic despite massive federal relief programs that are now ending, according to a new report.

The findings come from the updated ALICE Report, released Wednesday by United Way Suncoast and its research partner United For ALICE.

The report shows that through 2021, the number of total households living paycheck to paycheck grew to 615,627 in the five-county region – which includes Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.

That is an increase of more than 28,000 struggling households since 2018 and equates to 45% of all households in the region.

Of those, the greatest share, or 446,760, are defined as ALICE families – or Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. The rest are living below the federal poverty level.

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/2023/04/26/almost-half-of-households-in-sarasota-manatee-region-on-economic-edge-united-way-alice-report/70134658007/

Many of these people are the same ones Florida retirees expect to cater to their needs. Working for tips or some other low-wage job just won't cut it these days, with Florida's cost-of-living skyrocketing due to rising rents and home prices. It was once said that workers were satisfied living in Florida at a lower salary because of the "sunshine tax", but I think those days have come to an end.