It's more expensive to live in the Tampa Bay region than it was a year ago.
A family of four must earn an average of $106,000 a year to afford basic needs across the greater Tampa Bay region. That's a year-over-year increase of roughly $4,000. It also exceeds the average statewide survival budget of $91,000, according to the 2026 ALICE report.
"Things cost more in our community here in the Suncoast region ... because it costs more to live in an urban environment," said United Way Suncoast vice president of community impact Doug Griesenauer. The United Way publishes the annual study that reports on people who are asset-limited, income-constrained and employed — or ALICE.
The study also found that roughly 1 in 3 Floridians, or 34%, earn above the federal poverty line, of $31,200 for a family of four, but less than the basic cost of living. More Floridians are falling within this threshold and are becoming part of the ALICE demographic.
The state ranks 47th out of 50 states for people who fall at or below the ALICE threshold, which has experienced an upward trend since 2010.
Griesenauer said the result is many individuals and families are forced to make difficult decisions between necessities, and in some cases, delay crucial purchases, such as car repairs or health visits.
"What we're seeing right now is a lot of families that are delaying costs ... that's then leading to more costly issues down the road," he said.
Less than half of individuals who fall below the ALICE threshold and live in the Southeast United States report having emergency savings to cover three months of expenses, according to a federal household survey.
Across the greater Tampa Bay region, people ages 65 and older, single mothers and Black- and Hispanic-led households are experiencing higher rates of financial hardship.
The mismatch between wages and expenses also varies by county.
Pinellas County had the second-highest survival budget, behind only Miami-Dade County, with an estimated $114,084 needed annually to cover basic needs for a family of four.
The household survival budget calculated by United Way includes the minimum amount needed to live and work, including housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, technology, taxes and some miscellaneous expenses, and excluding everything else, according to the report.
Households in Hillsborough County experienced the biggest increase in their family survival budget, at 12.5%, compared to last year's report.
While rural counties are often hamstrung by wages that lag behind rising prices, Griesenauer said DeSoto County is a success story of community- and volunteer-based supports buoying people living paycheck to paycheck.
"For individuals to live in a community that can sustain this type of living, you need to have those community groups, nonprofit groups, and business groups coming together to create those solutions," he said.
While it remains the most financially constrained county in the region, with 56% of residents below ALICE, DeSoto County reduced its ALICE population by 10 percentage points in the past three years.
Gabriella Paul covers the stories of people living paycheck to paycheck in the greater Tampa Bay region for WUSF. Here’s how you can share your story with her.
