All Resources
Report
The State of Working Alabama 2008
What if this is as good as it gets? That's a question many Alabama workers may ask themselves in the near future as this year's national economic slump continues. The state's economy has been healthy in a number of areas since the business cycle last peaked in 2001. The unemployment level is below the national and [...]
Report
Locked Out: Low wages and affordable housing in Alabama
This 2008 report examines the shortage of appropriate, adequate and affordable housing in Alabama.
Report
Bridging the Gap
From the Tennessee Valley to the Gulf Coast, Alabamians share a strong work ethic and a deep commitment to individual responsibility. They go to work each day, pay their taxes, participate in the lives of their communities, and nurture their children. But for many, the promise that hard work will provide a good living for them [...]
Fact Sheet
IDAs: Building assets to break the chains of poverty
With just a small investment in a federally sponsored asset-building strategy known as Individual Development Accounts (IDAs), Alabama could help hundreds of low-income workers break the chains of poverty by saving for education, housing or entrepreneurship. This fact sheet explains how IDAs work, how they're funded and how Alabama can move forward with this innovative program.
Report
The State of Working Alabama 2007
The rising tide hasn't lifted all boats in Alabama. The state's economy has grown in a number of ways since the recession of 2001-02. The unemployment level is notably below the national and regional average, with some areas of the state experiencing what economists would call full employment. Almost 100,000 new jobs have been created [...]
Report
The State of Working Alabama 2006
ACPP has partnered with the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) to assess the economic condition of Alabama's working families in 2006, against the backdrop of national and historical trends.
Blog
Sandbox
2025 was one of Arise's most successful years ever at the State House. We hope you’ll read our Annual Report to learn about the impact that Alabama Arise and Alabama Arise Action made in 2025, thanks to your support. You can download or read our 2025 Annual Report here. You helped us make major progress [...]
Fact Sheet
Alabama roadblock: Our public transit gap
Inadequate public transportation keeps thousands of Alabamians from meeting basic needs.More than 50 years after the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) provides no public transit funding. A 1952 amendment to Alabama's constitution makes it illegal to use state gas tax and license fee revenuse -- a logical source of transit funds [...]
Fact Sheet
Getting by: The challenge of measuring poverty
Defining poverty is a difficult task. The researcher who developed the poverty threshold called them a measure of "income inadequacy." That is, they reflect a general agreement about how much is too little to live on, rather than how much is enough. This fact sheet describes how the government measures poverty and offers an alternative measure called the Self-Sufficiency Standard [...]