A record number of Miami-Dade families live paycheck-to-paycheck. What to know

A new United Way report finds 563,947 Miami-Dade households — 56% of the county — can’t make ends meet, the highest rate in a decade. Rising costs for housing, food and childcare are outpacing wages, pushing working families to the brink.

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Here are key takeaways:

• United Way classifies these families as ALICE — asset limited, income constrained, employed. They often earn too much to qualify for government aid but not enough to save for emergencies, college, a home or retirement.
• A single adult in Miami-Dade needs at least $47,784 a year to cover basics. For two adults with two kids under 5, that figure jumps to $114,480 — and none of it includes having money to add to savings.
• Housing costs have surged. HUD considered $2,324 to be fair monthly rent for a two-bedroom in the Miami metro in 2024, up nearly 60% from 2019. Median household income rose just 34% over the same period.
• Single-mother households are hit hardest, with 84% falling below the ALICE threshold. More than eight in 10 households headed by someone under 25 are also living paycheck to paycheck.
• Miami-Dade lost about 10,000 residents last year, and the exodus skews young. Ned Murray of FIU’s Metropolitan Center said wages and affordability don’t cut it for prime working-age residents, so they move out.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.

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