Doing okay or living comfortably
73%
percent of adults
A clear majority assesses its own finances positively.
Boundary Self-assessment is not a balance-sheet or liquidity measure.
The American Household Economy · 2026
Households
How American households assess their own finances: well-being, emergency liquidity, bill payment, health and food hardship, and net worth by age — with net worth and spendable cash kept distinct.
Data as of
Financial well-being
How adults assess their own finances. These are self-assessments, not balance-sheet or liquidity measures.
Financially worse off than 12 months earlier
28%
percent of adults
More adults reported deterioration than improvement.
Boundary Does not identify the cause of deterioration.
Financially better off than 12 months earlier
23%
percent of adults
Nearly one quarter reported improvement.
Boundary Not directly comparable to income growth.
Personal saving rate
3.0%
percent of disposable personal income
Aggregate saving was thin relative to disposable income.
Boundary Macro aggregate; does not describe the median household.
Rated the national economy good or excellent
≈25%
percent of adults
Adults rated the national economy much worse than their own finances.
Boundary Approximate one-quarter share reported by the source; a perception measure.
Non-retirees who think retirement savings are on track
35%
percent of non-retirees
Only about one-third believed their retirement saving was on track.
Boundary Subjective assessment among non-retirees, not a modeled adequacy ratio.
University of Michigan consumer sentiment
44.8
index, 1966:Q1=100
Sentiment was deeply depressed despite majority positive self-assessment.
Boundary Different survey, question framing and population from SHED.
Emergency liquidity and bills
Cash reachable this week is a different concept from net worth. A household can be solvent on paper and still short of cash.
Could cover a $400 emergency with cash or equivalent
63%
percent of adults
Most adults could meet a small shock without financing it over time.
Boundary Cash equivalent includes a credit card paid in full at the next statement.
Could not pay a $400 emergency by any means
12%
percent of adults
A material minority has no workable response to a small emergency.
Boundary This is narrower than the 37% who could not use cash or equivalent.
Three-month rainy-day fund
55%
percent of adults
Just over half reported a substantial emergency buffer.
Boundary Self-reported and does not measure portfolio liquidity.
Did not pay all bills in full last month
16%
percent of adults
Roughly one in six missed or underpaid at least one bill.
Boundary For credit cards, underpayment means less than the minimum.
Struggled paying bills last month
28%
percent of adults
Difficulty is broader than outright nonpayment.
Boundary Combines missed bills with subjective difficulty paying.
Always or often had money left at month-end
41%
percent of adults
Less than half consistently had monthly budget margin.
Boundary Does not reveal the size of the surplus.
Denominator: percent of all U.S. adults (SHED 2025). Every bar shares the same base, so heights are directly comparable.
| Series | percent of adults |
|---|---|
| Financially worse off than 12 months earlier | |
| Did not pay all bills in full last month | |
| Struggled paying bills last month | |
| Could not pay a $400 emergency by any means | |
| Skipped medical care because of cost | |
| Had medical debt | |
| Food insufficiency in prior month |
Health and food hardship
Cost barriers to care and food. Note the two food measures use different denominators and reference windows.
Skipped medical care because of cost
26%
percent of adults
Cost barriers affected more than one quarter of adults.
Boundary Any skipped treatment; severity and clinical consequence vary.
Had medical debt
18%
percent of adults
Medical liabilities remain common.
Boundary Debt may stem from the respondent or a family member and need not be new in 2025.
Food insufficiency in prior month
8%
percent of adults
Severe current food hardship affected about one in twelve adults.
Boundary A one-month adult survey measure, not USDA's annual household food-security measure.
Food-insecure households
13.7%
percent of households
18.3 million households experienced food insecurity at some point in 2024.
Boundary Annual household measure; differs from SHED's one-month adult food-insufficiency measure.
Very low food security
5.4%
percent of households
7.2 million households experienced severe food hardship.
Boundary Annual household measure; post-2024 survey continuity is uncertain.
Uninsured for the full year
8.0%
percent of people
27.1 million people lacked insurance for the full year.
Boundary Calendar-2024 coverage; does not measure underinsurance or mid-2026 status.
Net worth by age
A structural distribution from the 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances, translated into June 2026 dollars — not a newly observed 2026 wealth survey.
Denominator: the 50th percentile within each five-year age band. In June 2026 dollars. This is the 2022 SCF distribution translated for inflation, not a newly observed 2026 balance sheet.
| Series | USD (median) |
|---|---|
| 18–24 | |
| 25–29 | |
| 30–34 | |
| 35–39 | |
| 40–44 | |
| 45–49 | |
| 50–54 | |
| 55–59 | |
| 60–64 | |
| 65–69 | |
| 70–74 | |
| 75–79 | |
| 80+ |
Latest SCF distribution translated to June 2026 purchasing power. Includes primary-residence equity. This is an inflation translation of the 2022 distribution, not a newly observed 2026 wealth survey or mark-to-market asset update.
| Age of reference person | P25 | Median | P75 | P90 | P95 | P99 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18–24 | $100 | $11,700 | $38,700 | $210,600 | $481,200 | $745,400 |
| 25–29 | $4,300 | $35,900 | $149,000 | $338,700 | $467,900 | $2,421,400 |
| 30–34 | $12,600 | $101,100 | $212,400 | $614,800 | $908,700 | $3,009,100 |
| 35–39 | $18,900 | $158,200 | $444,400 | $986,300 | $1,691,400 | $5,410,600 |
| 40–44 | $27,200 | $153,400 | $498,600 | $1,349,500 | $2,249,700 | $8,941,400 |
| 45–49 | $54,400 | $243,700 | $776,300 | $1,630,400 | $3,184,000 | $9,929,700 |
| 50–54 | $62,100 | $303,700 | $1,041,900 | $2,940,200 | $5,043,300 | $15,099,700 |
| 55–59 | $97,000 | $366,400 | $1,297,900 | $3,049,300 | $6,903,900 | $17,541,500 |
| 60–64 | $91,700 | $448,300 | $1,290,800 | $3,471,700 | $7,264,800 | $20,392,400 |
| 65–69 | $78,700 | $449,000 | $1,317,500 | $3,379,000 | $7,834,600 | $25,222,500 |
| 70–74 | $142,400 | $500,600 | $1,409,300 | $3,422,800 | $7,072,500 | $21,409,800 |
| 75–79 | $102,100 | $385,900 | $1,131,500 | $3,325,500 | $6,669,500 | $22,673,500 |
| 80+ | $108,700 | $373,400 | $1,077,600 | $2,899,100 | $6,232,200 | $18,520,700 |
Source lineage: dqydj.com · www.federalreserve.gov · www.bls.gov