Alice – In Westchester United Way Westchester Putnam

ALICE is an acronym for Asset limited, Income Constrained, Employed — households that earn more than the Federal Poverty Level, but less than the basic cost of living for the county. 

The State of ALICE Report in Westchester County 2026, published annually by United Way of Westchester and Putnam in partnership with United For ALICE, provides a comprehensive look at the financial realities facing households across Westchester County. The report offers county-level data and insights into poverty, financial hardship, and the rising cost of basic needs to help nonprofit leaders, policymakers, and community stakeholders better understand local economic challenges and inform solutions. (2026)

U.S. Census Data

 The U.S. Census Bureau’s Westchester County profile provides a snapshot of the county’s population and communities through data on income, poverty, education, employment, housing, health coverage, households, race and ethnicity, and businesses. The profile reports a population of more than 1 million, a median household income of $118,596, and 54% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher. This resource can help nonprofit leaders and community stakeholders better understand local conditions and use data to inform planning and decision-making. (2024)

NYS Department of Labor Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) is a  quarterly report of employment and wages reported by employers covered under New York State’s Unemployment Insurance Law. Data is available for New York State, labor market areas, metropolitan areas, metropolitan divisions and counties, from 2000 to the present. Best source for detailed Westchester employment, establishments, total wages and average wages by industry. 

Business Council of Westchester Data Exchange

Business and Economy, Income and Poverty and More. Westchester County stands as a premier hub for 21st-century business and living—offering a dynamic mix of commercial, residential, and industrial opportunities. For the latest marketplace data and insights, please see the link below to access related articles and studies.

Hudson Valley Patterns for Progress – Out of Reach

Growing disconnect between wages and housing costs across the Hudson Valley, highlighting the increasing challenges working individuals and families face in affording both rental housing and homeownership and the need for coordinated, cross-sector solutions.

Regional Plan Association/Westchester County Association Report: Building Growth

The Economic Impact of Addressing Westchester’s Housing Crisis. As local governments throughout Westchester County and the Hudson Valley consider policy proposals to address housing costs and shortages, the Regional Plan Association partnered with the Westchester County Association to quantify the economic impact of building necessary housing and the lost financial opportunity if these needs remain unaddressed.

Welcome Home Westchester

A cross-sector campaign to led by the Building and Realty Institute address Westchester’s housing shortage, remove barriers to housing development, and create a more welcoming and accessible county for those who live and work in Westchester.

Westchester Housing Needs Assessment

A data-based foundation for the creation and preservation of affordable housing in Westchester County. The Affordable Housing Needs Assessment looks at the County’s history of housing policies; lays out the methodology for data analysis; provides findings on a wide variety of demographic, housing stock, and housing affordability issues; and provides recommendations, including Best Practices from across the country, to help the County move forward in meeting its affordable housing needs.

2021 Data Show Economic Activity of the U.S. Arts & Cultural Sector

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released data on Mar 15, 2023 that demonstrate the significant contribution of the arts and cultural industries to U.S. GDP in 2021 while also capturing the continued impact of the pandemic on the sector. The Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account (ACPSA) tracks the annual economic value of arts and cultural production from 35 industries—including both commercial and nonprofit entities. 

Americans for the Arts' Arts Impact Explorer Tool

Animating Democracy inspires, informs, promotes, and connects arts and culture as potent contributors to community, civic, and social change. The Arts Impact Explorer is your advocacy case-making tool to educate local decision-makers about the social, cultural, educational, and economic impact of Arts and Culture in building healthy and vibrant communities.

Arts' Benefits for Health and Well-Being

The arts’ benefits for health and well-being are experienced at all stages of life and on multiple levels. Americans today are united in seeking a more expansive range of treatments and therapies to address various healthcare needs. To improve these options, the National Endowment for the Arts is committed to grantmaking, strategic initiatives, and research supporting the arts and health.

Museums & Public Opinion 2026 Report

To assess the value Americans place on museums, and how much they want government to support museums, the American Alliance of Museums partnered with Wilkening Consulting to write and test several key questions, analyze survey results, share findings, and to coauthor this report.

National Data Reveals the Economic Impact of Museums Is More than Double Previous Estimates

The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the only organization representing the entire scope of the museum community, released two groundbreaking reports revealing indisputable evidence that museums contribute more to the United States economy than previously thought and have widespread public support that transcends political affiliations and geographic locations.

What is Arts & Economic Prosperity 6?

The newly released Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6) is an economic and social impact study of the nation’s nonprofit arts and culture industry. Building on its 30-year legacy as the largest and most inclusive study of its kind, AEP6 provides detailed findings on 373 regions from across all 50 states and Puerto Rico—ranging in population from 4,000 to 4 million—and representing rural, suburban, and large urban communities.

Mid-Hudson’s Creative Spark

New research finds the Mid-Hudson Region's arts and culture sector has quietly driven economic vitality—adding jobs and attracting new residents even as other industries declined. But that momentum is now at risk due to federal funding cuts, even as state investment has not kept pace.

Economic Impact of MorDance’s Permanent Home at 145 Palisade Street, Dobbs Ferry

The arts are more than cultural enrichment, they are powerful economic drivers. By establishing a permanent home in Dobbs Ferry, MorDance will not only expand access to professional ballet and education but also generate measurable economic benefits for the village and the region. Using the Arts & Economic Prosperity 5 (AEP5) Calculator, MorDance will track and report the community-wide impact of its activities in alignment with nationally recognized methodology.

Third Spaces

In the 1980s, American sociologist Ray Oldenburg developed the notion of a "third place": a space for informal, free social interaction, essential to democracy. The concept has gained unexpected popularity over the years. Coffee houses serve as a perfect example of the third place. The third place is not home and not work, but instead one of the physical settings that have throughout history encouraged a sense of warmth, conviviality, and that special kind of human sustenance we call community.

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Why You Need a Third Place | Sophie Spier | TEDxSioux Falls Youth

A simple definition for a third place is a “home away from home.” This place welcomes each person with open arms to socialize and interact informally. People seek this place, sometimes without even knowing it. To what degree do we replace this place with an easier, more hands-off digital alternative? It doesn't satisfy! This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

What is a Third Place? How to Find One?

Sociologist Ray Oldenburg coined the term “third place” to describe a wide range of familiar and precious spots that previously had no name. He wrote about many third places in his acclaimed 1989 The Great Good Place. The sequel, The Great Good Place II, written by Oldenburg’s long-time collaborator Karen Christensen and including more than 90% fresh material, will be published in 2026.

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What is a Third Place? Beyond the Buzzword to True Social Connection

Social isolation is on the rise. In fact, it’s an epidemic. Our communities are starting to feel the absence of places where people can go to meet with friends, have informal exchanges with acquaintances, or just get out of the house.These are what are often called “third places,” the places other than our homes (first places) and workplaces (second places) in which our social lives play out.

Great Public Spaces Strengthen Communities

Imagine a future where all communities can unlock the power of public space. Project for Public Spaces co-creates outstanding gathering places with the people who use them every day, and supports public space champions through convening, learning opportunities, and advocacy.

"Advancing Community Health" on June 4, 2026 Summary & Next Steps

Read a summary of our Inside the Sector event on June 4th - "Advancing Community Health: Aligning Cross Sector Action" and the recommendations that came out of the event that will inform future Inside the Nonprofit Sector programs. 

NYCON 2026 State of the Sector 

The New York Council of Nonprofits has released its 2025 State of the Sector report, offering valuable insights into the current data, trends, and challenges facing the nonprofit sector in New York.

ALICE in the Nonprofit Workforce

ALICE in the Nonprofit Workforce: A Study of Financial Hardship is the first report of its kind to examine financial insecurity among nonprofit workers, created by Independent Sector and United for ALICE. It rigorously analyzes publicly available data to understand the financial status of the country’s 13.9 million nonprofit employees in greater detail than ever before. According to the report, about 22% of nonprofit workers in the United States struggle financially.

Social Determinants of Health

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks. Learn more from the U.S Department of Disease Prevention & Human Promotion. 

NYS Comptroller Report "The Criticial Role of Nonprofits in New York"

Explore State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli's latest report detailing the critical role of nonprofit organizations in New York’s economy, including their contribution of over 1.3 million jobs in 2022, trends in nonprofit employment, and the challenges posed by contracting delays and funding issues.