New report shows greater economic stress on the horizon for Marylanders
BALTIMORE -- A new report from the United Way of Central Maryland provides an in-depth look at a persistent problem that stems from the pandemic: financial insecurity.
The United Way partnered with "United for Alice," which is a research center that focuses on people deemed asset-limited, income-restrained, and employed.
People who fall into these categories earn above the federal poverty level but not enough to afford the basic cost of living in their respective counties.
The report concluded that as of 2021 nearly 900,000 state households were financially insecure due to the pandemic.
The report shows that 10% of Marylanders were in poverty while 28% fell into the "Alice threshold."
That means 38% of Marylanders struggled to afford the basics as of 2021.
A county comparison shows that people who lived in the Baltimore area fared worse—with 53% of households sitting below the "Alice threshold," meaning that they struggle to make ends meet.
In the meantime, numbers in Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Caroll, and Harford counties sat at around 40% and above.
Howard County sat at 24% below the threshold.
The report cites job disruptions and inflation as sources of financial pain.
It also notes that pandemic support in the form of stimulus checks and rising wages helped prevent an even worse financial crisis for Marylanders.
But now, as those benefits are getting peeled back, the report warns of greater economic stress on the horizon.
