In 2019, there were 146,634 military veterans in Connecticut. Overall, a majority of them have fared better economically than nonveterans, in line with a belief that our nation must meet veterans’ basic needs given their service and sacrifice.
Yet in 2019, a substantial 33,472 of those who served our country struggled to make ends meet in Connecticut. According to the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), 5% of Veterans in Connecticut (7,245) lived in poverty in 2019.
United For ALICE data shows that another 18% (26,227) — more than three times as many — were also experiencing financial hardship, in households that earned above the FPL but not enough to afford the basics in the communities where they lived.
The reality is that nearly one-quarter (23%) of all veterans in Connecticut lived in a household with income below the ALICE Threshold of Financial Survival in 2019. This includes households in poverty as well as those who were ALICE: Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.
ALICE households don’t earn enough to afford housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, a smartphone plan, and taxes — the basics needed to live and work in the modern economy.
This ALICE in Focus Research Brief shows that there are veterans below the ALICE Threshold of all ages, races/ethnicities, and educational levels, in a variety of living arrangements and employment situations, across Connecticut and in every state. The share of veterans below the ALICE Threshold in 2019 ranged from 21% in Wisconsin to 36% in Louisiana.
Click here to take a deep dive into our new ALICE In Focus: Veterans.
