New data illustrates the rates at which various demographics are experiencing financial hardship in Bexar County. In total, 46% of all residents are unable to make ends meet due to the rising cost of living, wages and more.
The following demographic groups are experiencing financial hardship in Bexar County:
55% of American Indian/Alaskan Native
53% of Latino households
53% of Black households
51% of households that identify as two or more races
40% of Asian households
34% of White households
While financial hardship stretches across all demographic groups, there are disparities in the rates due to racism, ageism and gender discrimination. In Bexar County, full-time working Black women earn $0.56 and Latino women earn $0.57 compared to the $1.00 non-Latino White males earn.
“This data provides perspective to the inequities that many people in our local workforce face,” said Jason Aléman, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Community Impact for United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County. “We need system-wide changes across our community to ensure that all members of our community have the resources they need to succeed.”
United Way’s work continues to drive system-level changes throughout our community that reduce wage and opportunity disparities between women of color and white men. United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County advocates with employers and legislators for a wider safety net of support services for all.
A large portion of the households experiencing financial hardship in San Antonio belong to a subset of workers called ALICE, which stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. People experiencing ALICE have two or three jobs yet still do not earn wages that exceed the basics in San Antonio, including housing, child care, food, transportation, health care and more. Compounding this issue is the fact that 70% of these ALICE households do not qualify for most public benefits programs while still being unable to make ends meet.
Anyone experiencing financial hardship in Bexar County is encouraged to call United Way’s 2-1-1 Helpline to discover resources that can provide relief or support, like services that can help people increase their earning potential or continue their education. 2-1-1 is free, open 24/7/365, anonymous and available in Spanish.
For a full report on ALICE data in Texas and San Antonio, please visit this link. For more information on ALICE, please visit United For ALICE.
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Categories: ALICE |
