Working Should Add Up to More Than Just Getting By
By Ryan Aroney, President & CEO, United Way of Greater Lorain County
When it comes to measuring the strength of our local economy, pundits often talk about unemployment rate, the percentage of the workforce working full-time, and the federal poverty line. Those measures matter, but they leave one vital question unanswered - can the people who keep our economy running actually afford to live in our community?
To understand how Lorain County’s economy is doing, we need to examine what it costs for residents to participate.
The recent Out of Reach report released by the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO) puts one part of the problem into sharp focus. A full-time worker in Lorain County must earn $24.60 an hour to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment without spending more than 30% of their income on housing. The average renter in Lorain County earns $15.06 an hour, leaving a $9.54 hourly gap. At minimum wage, affording that apartment requires 87 hours of work each week.
Those figures are troubling enough on their own. But rent is only the first bill.
United Way’s United for ALICE project offers us a fuller picture. ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. These households earn more than the federal poverty level, but less than what it costs to cover basic expenses where they live.
Across Ohio, the ALICE Household Survival Budget totaled $81,852 in 2024 for a household with two adults, one infant, and one preschooler. That covers housing, childcare, food, transportation, health care, technology, and taxes, plus a modest allowance for miscellaneous expenses. It does not include savings for emergencies or retirement. The federal poverty level for a family of four that year was $31,200.
The report illustrates the gap between the federal poverty level and ALICE through an example of a household with a cook and a bank teller each working full-time. Their combined annual earnings of $63,859 would leave them nearly $18,000 short of what a household with two young children needed to cover the basics, while still earning more than $30,000 above the federal poverty level.
Two working adults with two paychecks, but still not enough to cover the basics.
It’s time to challenge the assumption that employment guarantees stability, or that a family struggling to pay rent simply needs to budget more carefully.
Consider the choices a family may face. A less expensive apartment farther from work may mean higher transportation costs or a lower-rated school district for their children. An additional shift may require childcare that consumes much of the extra income. Putting off a car repair may help pay the rent this month while putting the ability to get to work next month at risk.
Each decision can make sense in the moment. Together, they show how difficult it is to solve one problem when every part of the budget depends on another.
At United Way of Greater Lorain County, that understanding shapes our work. Through our United Community Assistance Network (UCAN) Community Collaborative, we provide emergency financial assistance, case management, and wraparound support to help families address the circumstances surrounding their crisis and build a path toward stability.
But the needs continue to grow. Since launching UCAN in 2014, the average price of rent has increased by 38.6%, while the median household income has increased by only 10.5%. Nonprofit organizations and philanthropic foundations cannot close a persistent gap between wages and basic costs through emergency assistance alone. It requires a system change.
We need local, state, and federal leaders to expand access to safe and affordable housing. We need employers at the table to consider how wages, schedules, and benefits affect their workers’ ability to stay housed and employed. We need transportation and childcare treated as essential parts of a community where people can work and support their families.
These are economic development priorities, too. Attracting businesses and creating jobs are only part of building a stronger Lorain County. The people filling those jobs must also be able to afford a home, care for their children, and build a future here. Our economy should be measured not only by how many people are working, but by whether their work gives them a fair chance at stability.
Working full-time should add up to more than just getting by – and building that community is a responsibility we all share.