PENDLETON — Umatilla County between 2019 and 2021 lost more than 500 households and experienced a dramatic rise in the number of households that were financially insecure.

According to a new report from United Ways of the Pacific Northwest and its research partner United For ALICE, Umatilla County’s total number of households dropped from 27,538 in 2019 to 27,012 in 2021 — the last year of data in the study — for a decrease of 526, or 1.9%.

Almost all of those were households in poverty. That total dropped in those two years from 3,847 to 3,352, a decrease of 495.

During the two-year span, the number of households in the county meeting the threshold for ALICE — Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed — jumped from 6,872 in 2019 to 8,649, an increase of 1,777 or almost 25.9%.  that does not include homes in poverty

Morrow County’s number of households from 2019 to 2021 decreased from 4,108 to 4,085, a drop of almost .6%, and the number of households below the ALICE Threshold grew from 1,743 to 1,868. That includes the

In 2019, 1,743 households in Morrow County were below the ALICE Threshold; by 2021 that number had changed to 1,868

According to data from United Ways of the Pacific Northwest and United for ALICE, 44% of Oregonians in 2021 could be classified as ALICE, which stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, and Employed. Oregonians who were classified as ALICE earned above the federal poverty level, so they did not qualify for government assistance programs, but they also could not pay for all their monthly bills and essentials.

(United for ALICE is a spinoff nonprofit organization led by United Way of Northern New Jersey that now is active in about half of the states, including Oregon.)

Of the 10,536 households in Union County in 2021, 1,600 were at the poverty level, 2,976 were classified as ALICE, and 5,960 were above the ALICE threshold.

Union County has a poverty rate of 15%, while the state average is 11%.

Here are a few facts from the data:

Occupation and income averages

The average annual household income for Union County in 2021 was $55,227, while the state average was $71,562.

The most common jobs in Oregon, according to the report, were fast-food workers at 53,030 jobs. Of these 53,030 jobs, the average wage was $13.95 an hour. 46% of workers in fast-food occupations fell below the ALICE threshold.

The least common jobs in Oregon were general maintenance and repair workers at 16,510 jobs. Of these 16,510 jobs, the average wage was $21.52 an hour, with 31% falling below the ALICE threshold.

Thresholds by race and ethnicity in Union County

There is an unequal distribution of financial hardship in Union County between race and ethnicities.

Of the 9,498 white households in Union County, 5,408 were above ALICE thresholds, 2,236 were in the ALICE category and 854 fell into the poverty category.

In the 146 African American households, none was above ALICE, while 37 were ALICE, and 109 were at the poverty level.

There were 351 Hispanic households. Of those, 199 were above ALICE, 90 were ALICE, and 62 were at the poverty level.

Union County subdivision and ALICE thresholds

Cove had 935 households in 2021, and 32% fell below the ALICE threshold. Elgin had 1,309 households and 40% were below ALICE. La Grande had 6,879 households, and 47% were below ALICE. Union had 1,384 households and 38% were below ALICE.

Employment status

In 2021, 20.3% of people in Union County were retired, 22.0% were not in the labor force, 3.7% were unemployed, 5.1% were part-time salary, 13.7% were part-time hourly, 17.3% were full-time hourly, and 18.0% were full-time salary.

Annual household survival budget in Union County

For a single adult in Union County, the ALICE survival budget, or the least amount of income needed per year, not including money for savings, was $23,064. For a family of four with two school-age children, the annual survival budget was $59,676.

In every county across Oregon, household expenses were well above the federal poverty level of $12,880 for a single adult, and $26,500 for a family of four.