Report: 40% of Michiganders can’t afford a survival budget — or about 130,000 more than when Gretchen Whitmer took office

Report: 40% of Michiganders can’t afford a survival budget — or about 130,000 more than when Gretchen Whitmer took office

In Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Michigan, 40% of folks are struggling to cover the basic cost of living, equating to 1.6 million households across the state. A 2026 United for ALICE report looks at 2024 numbers to calculate the number of Michiganders below the federal poverty line, as well as those who are Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. ALICE refers to residents who are working, but don’t earn enough to cover a survival budget that incl…