The Economy Survived 2025, But Many Americans Are Reeling

After a chaotic year filled with trade wars, market gyrations and the longest government shutdown in history, the U.S. economy has, once again, proved more resilient than many forecasters feared.

But “resilient” isn’t quite the same thing as “good.”

Many Americans are entering 2026 worried about their jobs, stressed about their finances and unconvinced that things will improve in the new year.

The flow of official economic data resumed last week after a prolonged delay caused by the government shutdown. The reports were muddled by technical quirks related to the shutdown, but on balance they suggested the economy remained stuck in the same uneasy limbo it was in before the data blackout began.

Job growth was decent in November, but unemployment rose. Retail sales were solid, but wage growth slowed. Inflation cooled, but remains elevated.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/business/economy-unemployment-wages-affordability.html