More U.S. Households Are Struggling Financially, Analysis Finds

The increase this year reversed a small improvement measured in 2025 and matched the highest level recorded since the network began publishing its annual report, Financial Health Pulse, eight years ago, researchers said.

“Households are struggling,” said Taylor Nelms, the network’s vice president of research and insights. The 2026 report, which will be publicly available on Tuesday, is based on a survey of more than 7,600 households conducted this spring. The survey uses a nationally representative sample drawn from the Understanding America Study, a probability-based panel administered by the University of Southern California, to estimate findings about all U.S. households. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.1 percent.

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Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/your-money/household-finances-struggle.html