Human Written & Fact Checked · Updated November 2026

225 Personal Finance Statistics for 2026

US household debt stood at $19.105 trillion at the end of the third quarter of 2026 on the New York Fed's credit-report panel, and the personal saving rate was 3.8% in September. In the Federal Reserve's latest household survey 63% of adults could meet a $400 emergency from cash or its equivalent, and median family net worth was $215,900 in its 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances.

This page gathers the personal finance figures from each producer in one place: how households say they are doing, emergency savings, income, spending and saving, net worth, debt and missed payments, credit cards, buy now, pay later, retirement balances and readiness, bank accounts and financial literacy. The US is the main market. The UK has two sections of its own and the euro area and global figures have one. Every figure links to the public body, research institute or company that published it, with the date.

The producers measure different things. Central banks and statistics offices publish national accounts and credit-report totals, surveys ask adults, families or households, and firms such as Vanguard, Fidelity and TransUnion report their own customers or files. A median and a mean from the same table can sit far apart. We name the producer, the population and the period for every figure and never add the measures up or treat them as one.

Headline figures

Total US household debt stood at $19.105 trillion at the end of Q3 2026, up $334 billion (1.8%) on the quarter and $520 billion on the year, on the New York Fed's credit-report panel. (New York Fed (Household Debt and Credit Q3 2026), Nov 2026)
US credit card balances on credit reports rose by $22 billion in Q3 2026 to $1.29 trillion. (New York Fed (Household Debt and Credit Q3 2026), Nov 2026)
The US personal saving rate, personal saving as a percentage of disposable personal income, was 3.8% in September 2026. (BEA (Personal Income and Outlays, Sep 2026), Oct 2026)
Median US family net worth was $215,900 and mean net worth $1,241,500 in the 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances (2025 dollars). (Federal Reserve (SCF 2025), Oct 2026)
63% of US adults said in late 2025 that they would cover a hypothetical $400 emergency expense using only cash, savings or a credit card paid off at the next statement. (Federal Reserve (SHED 2025), May 2026)
Real median US household income was $87,460 in 2025, up 2.6% from $85,210 in 2024 and, in the Census Bureau's words, the highest on record dating back to 1967. (Census Bureau (income and poverty 2025), Sep 2026)
Among participants in US retirement plans that Vanguard keeps the records for, the average account balance was $167,970 and the median $44,115 in 2025. (Vanguard (How America Saves 2026), Jun 2026)
The average credit card interest rate at US commercial banks was 22.36% on accounts assessed interest in Q3 2026, and 21.19% across all accounts. (Federal Reserve (G.19 consumer credit), Nov 2026)
19.6% of US families were late on a debt payment in the past year in the 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances, up from 12.2% in 2022. (Federal Reserve (SCF 2025), Oct 2026)
US adults correctly answered 47% of the 28 P-Fin Index personal finance questions on average in 2026, a statistically significant decline from the prior year. (TIAA Institute-GFLEC (P-Fin Index 2026), Jun 2026)
4.2% of US households, about 5.6 million, were unbanked in 2023 on the FDIC's household survey. (FDIC (2023 household survey), Nov 2024)
Six large US buy now, pay later lenders originated 335.8 million pay-in-four loans totalling $45.2 billion in 2023, on data they reported to the CFPB. (CFPB (BNPL market report), Dec 2025)
13.1 million UK adults, 24% of the total, had low financial resilience in May 2024. (FCA (Financial Lives 2024), May 2025)
The UK household saving ratio was 8.8% in Q2 2026, seasonally adjusted, against 8.6% in Q1 2026. (ONS (household saving ratio), Sep 2026)

How are US households doing financially in 2026?

Most adults say they are coping, yet more say their finances are getting worse than getting better. The two findings come from different surveys that ask different questions, and both can be true at once.

View data table

Share of US adults doing at least okay financially, 2013 to 2025, in the Federal Reserve's household survey. The share peaked in 2021 and has sat at 72% or 73% since 2022.
Period	Value
2013	62%
2014	65%
2015	69%
2016	70%
2017	74%
2018	75%
2019	75%
2020	75%
2021	78%
2022	73%
2023	72%
2024	73%
2025	73%

Share of US adults doing at least okay financially, 2013 to 2025, in the Federal Reserve's household survey. The share peaked in 2021 and has sat at 72% or 73% since 2022. (Federal Reserve (SHED 2025), May 2026)

Near the end of 2025, 73% of US adults reported "doing okay" financially (39%) or "living comfortably" (34%). (Federal Reserve (SHED 2025), May 2026)
The remaining US adults were "just getting by" (19%) or "finding it difficult to get by" (8%) near the end of 2025. (Federal Reserve (SHED 2025), May 2026)
16% of US adults did not pay all their bills in full in the month before the 2025 survey: 34% of adults with income under $25,000 against 7% of those with $100,000 or more. (Federal Reserve (SHED 2025), May 2026)
A record 55% of US adults told Gallup in April 2026 that their financial situation was getting worse, after 53% in 2025 and 47% in 2024. It was the fifth consecutive year in which more said worse than better, and "record" is Gallup's word. (Gallup (Economy and Personal Finance 2026), Apr 2026)
46% of US adults rated their financial situation excellent or good in April 2026, 35% only fair and 19% poor. (Gallup (Economy and Personal Finance 2026), Apr 2026)
62% of US adults worried about not having enough money for retirement in April 2026 and 60% about medical costs after a serious illness or accident. (Gallup (Economy and Personal Finance 2026), Apr 2026)
In the same US poll 54% worried about maintaining their standard of living, 54% about investment returns, 48% about routine healthcare costs, 41% about normal monthly bills, 40% about affording college, 35% about housing costs and 28% about minimum credit card payments. (Gallup (Economy and Personal Finance 2026), Apr 2026)
31% of US adults named the high cost of living as their family's most important financial problem in an open-ended question in April 2026, below the 41% peak of 2024. (Gallup (Economy and Personal Finance 2026), Apr 2026)
63% of US adults agreed in 2024 that thinking about their personal finances makes them anxious, up from 56% in 2021. (FINRA Foundation (NFCS 2024), Jul 2025)
24% of US adults were satisfied with their current personal financial condition in 2024, down from 33% in 2021. (FINRA Foundation (NFCS 2024), Jul 2025)

Three separate US surveys appear here. The Federal Reserve's Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED) asks adults how they are managing. Gallup is a telephone poll of 1,001 adults (1 to 15 April 2026) that asks whether finances are getting better or worse. The FINRA Foundation's National Financial Capability Study (NFCS) is an online survey of more than 25,000 adults from 2024. Their percentages answer different questions and should not be compared as one series.

How many Americans can cover a $400 emergency?

A clear majority can, but the share has been flat since 2022 and sits below its 2021 high. Three months of savings is a much harder test, and the answer depends on which survey asks.

View data table

Share of US adults who would cover a $400 emergency expense completely using cash or its equivalent, 2013 to 2025, among all adults in the Federal Reserve's household survey.
Period	Value
2013	50%
2014	53%
2015	54%
2016	56%
2017	59%
2018	61%
2019	63%
2020	64%
2021	68%
2022	63%
2023	63%
2024	63%
2025	63%

Share of US adults who would cover a $400 emergency expense completely using cash or its equivalent, 2013 to 2025, among all adults in the Federal Reserve's household survey. (Federal Reserve (SHED 2025), May 2026)

The share of US adults who would cover a $400 emergency expense with cash or its equivalent was unchanged in 2025 from the previous three years and down from a high of 68% in 2021, the Federal Reserve's own description. (Federal Reserve (SHED 2025), May 2026)
12% of US adults said in 2025 that they would be unable to pay a $400 emergency expense by any means right now, down slightly from 13% in 2024. (Federal Reserve (SHED 2025), May 2026)
Faced with a $400 emergency expense, 15% of US adults would put it on a credit card and pay it off over time, 10% would borrow from a friend or family member, 7% would sell something, 3% would use a bank loan or line of credit and 2% a payday loan, deposit advance or overdraft (2025). (Federal Reserve (SHED 2025), May 2026)
59% of US adults had at least one major unexpected expense in the 12 months before the 2025 survey: 30% a major vehicle repair or replacement, 22% a major house or appliance repair and 21% an unexpected major medical expense. (Federal Reserve (SHED 2025), May 2026)
26% of US adults skipped medical care because of cost in the year before the 2025 survey, down from 28% in 2024. (Federal Reserve (SHED 2025), May 2026)

Cash or its equivalent means cash, savings or a credit card paid off at the next statement. The question is hypothetical and asks how an adult would pay, not whether they hold $400.

How many Americans have three months of emergency savings?

55% of US adults said in 2025 that they had set aside emergency or rainy day savings to cover three months of expenses, unchanged from 2024 and down from a high of 59% in 2021 (Federal Reserve survey). (Federal Reserve (SHED 2025), May 2026)
By income, three months of emergency savings were held by 21% of US adults with less than $25,000, 39% with $25,000 to $49,999, 55% with $50,000 to $99,999 and 75% with $100,000 or more (2025). (Federal Reserve (SHED 2025), May 2026)
By age, three months of emergency savings were held by 37% of US adults aged 18-29, 49% aged 30-44, 55% aged 45-59 and 71% aged 60 and over (2025). (Federal Reserve (SHED 2025), May 2026)
Three months of emergency savings were held by 61% of White, 38% of Black, 43% of Hispanic and 68% of Asian adults in the US, and by 57% of men and 53% of women (2025). (Federal Reserve (SHED 2025), May 2026)
In a separate US survey, 46% of adults said in 2024 that they had set aside enough to cover three months of living expenses in an emergency, down from 53% in 2021 (FINRA Foundation study). (FINRA Foundation (NFCS 2024), Jul 2025)
35% of US adults said in 2024 that they probably or certainly could not come up with $2,000 if an unexpected need arose in the next month, up from 30% in 2021. (FINRA Foundation (NFCS 2024), Jul 2025)

The Federal Reserve survey (2025) and the FINRA Foundation study (2024) word the three-month question differently and ran in different years. Their shares are two readings, not a trend.

Do Americans have more savings than credit card debt?

44% of US adults said in December 2025 that they had more emergency savings than credit card debt, 29% had more credit card debt than emergency savings and 19% had no card debt but no emergency savings either (Bankrate's own survey). (Bankrate (Emergency Savings Report 2026), Feb 2026)
By generation, the US share with more emergency savings than credit card debt was 52% of baby boomers, 44% of Gen Z, 42% of Gen X and 38% of millennials (Bankrate survey, December 2025). (Bankrate (Emergency Savings Report 2026), Feb 2026)
58% of US adults said their emergency savings had not increased from a year earlier (29% about the same, 29% decreased), while 21% had more than a year earlier (Bankrate survey, December 2025). (Bankrate (Emergency Savings Report 2026), Feb 2026)
17% of US adults said they had no emergency savings in December 2025 and had none a year earlier (Bankrate survey). (Bankrate (Emergency Savings Report 2026), Feb 2026)
Fewer than 3 in 5 US workers said in 2026 that they had enough savings to handle an emergency expense, down from 64% in 2025 (survey of workers aged 25 and over). (EBRI and Greenwald (Retirement Confidence Survey 2026), Apr 2026)

Bankrate's figures come from its own online survey of 2,564 US adults run by YouGov on a non-probability panel, 2 to 8 December 2025. The EBRI and Greenwald figure comes from their own survey of workers.

How much do Americans earn, spend and save?

Median household income was the highest on record in 2025 on the Census Bureau's measure, yet little of it is being saved. The September 2026 saving rate sat below the 2025 annual rate and far below the pandemic years.

View data table

US personal saving as a percentage of disposable personal income, annual, 2014 to 2025. The 2020 and 2021 readings stand far above every other year in the series.
Period	Value
2014	5.5%
2015	5.8%
2016	5.4%
2017	5.8%
2018	6.4%
2019	7.3%
2020	15.3%
2021	11.6%
2022	3.5%
2023	6.1%
2024	6.3%
2025	5.4%

US personal saving as a percentage of disposable personal income, annual, 2014 to 2025. The 2020 and 2021 readings stand far above every other year in the series. (BEA (personal saving rate), Oct 2026)

Median post-tax household income in the US rose 3.1%, from $73,760 in 2024 to $76,060 in 2025. (Census Bureau (income and poverty 2025), Sep 2026)
The official US poverty rate fell 0.5 percentage points to 10.2% in 2025, or 34.5 million people, and the Supplemental Poverty Measure rate was 13.1%. (Census Bureau (income and poverty 2025), Sep 2026)
26.7 million people in the US (7.9%) had no health insurance for the whole of 2025. (Census Bureau (income and poverty 2025), Sep 2026)
Real median US family income was $82,200 and the mean $145,200 in 2024, the income year covered by the 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances. The median rose 7% and the mean fell 6% from 2021. (Federal Reserve (SCF 2025), Oct 2026)
US personal saving was $911.1 billion at a seasonally adjusted annual rate in September 2026. (BEA (Personal Income and Outlays, Sep 2026), Oct 2026)
26% of US adults said in 2024 that they spent more than their income, up from 19% in 2021 and, in the producer's words, "an all-time high for the NFCS". (FINRA Foundation (NFCS 2024), Jul 2025)
38% of US adults said in 2024 that they spent less than their income, down from 43% in 2021. (FINRA Foundation (NFCS 2024), Jul 2025)

These are three income measures and should not be swapped. The Census Bureau reports money income of households for 2025, the Survey of Consumer Finances reports before-tax family income for 2024, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis saving rate is a national-accounts total, seasonally adjusted and subject to revision, not a survey of households.

What do US households spend their money on?

Average annual expenditures per US consumer unit were $81,905 in 2025, up 4.3% from 2024, while average income before taxes was $110,847, up 6.4%. Consumer prices (CPI-U) rose 2.6% over the same period. (BLS (Consumer Expenditures 2025), Oct 2026)
US consumer units spent an average of $27,790 on housing in 2025, which was 33.9% of total average annual expenditures and 5.8% more than the $26,266 of 2024. (BLS (Consumer Expenditures 2025), Oct 2026)
Average US consumer-unit spending in 2025 was $13,492 on transportation (up 1.3%), $10,633 on food (up 4.6%), $10,175 on personal insurance and pensions (up 3.9%) and $6,470 on healthcare (up 4.4%). (BLS (Consumer Expenditures 2025), Oct 2026)

A consumer unit is a household or a financially independent individual. These are averages (means), not medians.

How many Americans live paycheck to paycheck?

Nearly 24% of US households in Bank of America's own customer data lived "paycheck to paycheck" in 2025, defined as necessity spending above 95% of household income, a 0.3 percentage point increase on 2024. (Bank of America Institute (paycheck to paycheck), Nov 2025)
Among lower-income US households in the same Bank of America data, 29% lived paycheck to paycheck in 2025, up from 28.6% in 2024 and 27.1% in 2023. (Bank of America Institute (paycheck to paycheck), Nov 2025)

There is no official definition of living paycheck to paycheck. This one is Bank of America Institute's, applied to the bank's own deposit and spending data, so it describes its customers and not all US households.

What is the net worth of US households?

The typical family is worth far less than the average suggests. The mean is several times the median in every age group, so the median is the fairer guide to a household in the middle.

View data table

Median net worth of US families by age of the reference person, 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances, in 2025 dollars. Medians only; the means are far higher.
Period	Value
Under 35	$33,000
35-44	$155,600
45-54	$253,700
55-64	$411,900
65-74	$431,300
75 or over	$504,900

Median net worth of US families by age of the reference person, 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances, in 2025 dollars. Medians only; the means are far higher. (Federal Reserve (SCF 2025), Oct 2026)

Between 2022 and 2025, real median net worth of US families rose 2% (from $211,100) and real mean net worth rose 7% (from $1,164,100). (Federal Reserve (SCF 2025), Oct 2026)
Median US family net worth by age of the reference person in 2025: under 35 $33,000, 35-44 $155,600, 45-54 $253,700, 55-64 $411,900, 65-74 $431,300 and 75 or over $504,900. (Federal Reserve (SCF 2025), Oct 2026)
Mean US family net worth by age of the reference person in 2025: under 35 $135,400, 35-44 $681,900, 45-54 $1,244,500, 55-64 $1,878,000, 65-74 $1,897,600 and 75 or over $1,962,200. (Federal Reserve (SCF 2025), Oct 2026)
Median net worth of US families headed by someone under 35 fell 23% between 2022 and 2025, while the median for families headed by someone aged 75 or over rose 37%. (Federal Reserve (SCF 2025), Oct 2026)
Median net worth was $458,900 for US families that own their home and $10,600 for renters in 2025. (Federal Reserve (SCF 2025), Oct 2026)
Median US family net worth in 2025 was $332,100 for White non-Hispanic, $36,800 for Black non-Hispanic, $79,600 for Hispanic and $677,600 for Asian respondents. (Federal Reserve (SCF 2025), Oct 2026)
Median net worth in 2025 was $505,400 for US families with a college degree and $18,600 for those with no high school diploma. (Federal Reserve (SCF 2025), Oct 2026)

The Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) runs every three years and measures the wealth of US families at the 2025 interview. Age is that of the family's reference person and race is that of the survey respondent.

What does the Census Bureau household wealth measure show?

Median US household wealth was $204,900 in 2024 on the Census Bureau's household survey (2024 dollars). (Census Bureau (Wealth of Households 2024), Jul 2026)
1 in 10 US households had net wealth of zero dollars or less in 2024, and 1 in 10 had more than $1,810,000, the 90th percentile. (Census Bureau (Wealth of Households 2024), Jul 2026)
Median US household wealth in 2024 was $38,270 where the householder was under 35, $426,700 where the householder was aged 70 to 74 and $336,000 where the householder was 75 or over. (Census Bureau (Wealth of Households 2024), Jul 2026)
Around 24% of US households with a non-Hispanic Black householder, 13.9% with a Hispanic householder and 15.4% with a non-Hispanic householder of another race group had zero or negative wealth in 2024, against 8.2% of those with a non-Hispanic White and 9.4% with a non-Hispanic Asian householder. (Census Bureau (Wealth of Households 2024), Jul 2026)

The Census Bureau figure comes from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), counts households at the end of 2024 and leaves out equity in pension plans. The Federal Reserve figure counts families in 2025. Both are legitimate medians of different things, so we show them apart and do not average them. For the Census age groups we give only the values stated in the report's text.

How much debt do US households have?

Household debt has grown every year since 2019 on the New York Fed's credit-report panel, and mortgages are the bulk of it. Student loans, car loans and credit cards each sit between one and two trillion dollars.

View data table

Total US household debt at the end of each year (fourth quarter), 2019 to 2025, and at the end of Q3 2026, in trillions of dollars and not adjusted for inflation.
Period	Value
2019	$14.145tn
2020	$14.559tn
2021	$15.576tn
2022	$16.899tn
2023	$17.503tn
2024	$18.036tn
2025	$18.776tn
Q3 2026	$19.105tn

Total US household debt at the end of each year (fourth quarter), 2019 to 2025, and at the end of Q3 2026, in trillions of dollars and not adjusted for inflation. (New York Fed (Household Debt and Credit Q3 2026), Nov 2026)

By type, US household debt at the end of Q3 2026 was $13.374 trillion in mortgages, $1.734 trillion in auto loans, $1.656 trillion in student loans, $0.575 trillion in other debt and $0.481 trillion in home equity lines of credit. (New York Fed (Household Debt and Credit Q3 2026), Nov 2026)
US household debt by borrower age in Q3 2026: 18-29 $1.187 trillion, 30-39 $4.117 trillion, 40-49 $5.006 trillion, 50-59 $4.185 trillion, 60-69 $2.789 trillion and 70 or over $1.795 trillion. (New York Fed (Household Debt and Credit Q3 2026), Nov 2026)
US mortgage debt by borrower age in Q3 2026: 18-29 $0.528 trillion, 30-39 $2.845 trillion, 40-49 $3.657 trillion, 50-59 $3.018 trillion, 60-69 $2.002 trillion and 70 or over $1.311 trillion. (New York Fed (Household Debt and Credit Q3 2026), Nov 2026)
US student loan debt by borrower age in Q3 2026: 18-29 $0.318 trillion, 30-39 $0.519 trillion, 40-49 $0.381 trillion, 50-59 $0.259 trillion, 60-69 $0.127 trillion and 70 or over $0.043 trillion. (New York Fed (Household Debt and Credit Q3 2026), Nov 2026)
US auto loan debt by borrower age in Q3 2026: 18-29 $0.216 trillion, 30-39 $0.386 trillion, 40-49 $0.415 trillion, 50-59 $0.354 trillion, 60-69 $0.228 trillion and 70 or over $0.132 trillion. (New York Fed (Household Debt and Credit Q3 2026), Nov 2026)

The New York Fed figures come from its Consumer Credit Panel, a sample of US credit reports from Equifax. They cover people with a credit report. Balances by age may not add up to the totals because a small number of people have an unknown birth year.

How many US families carry debt, and how much?

77.0% of US families held some debt in 2025, and the median owed by those with debt was $88,100. (Federal Reserve (SCF 2025), Oct 2026)
42.0% of US families had a mortgage on their primary residence in 2025 (median owed $183,600), 32.1% had vehicle loans ($17,000) and 20.0% had student loans ($25,600). Each median is among families holding that debt. (Federal Reserve (SCF 2025), Oct 2026)
65% of US workers said in 2026 that debt is a problem for their household, and one-quarter described it as a major problem (survey of workers aged 25 and over). (EBRI and Greenwald (Retirement Confidence Survey 2026), Apr 2026)
Half of US workers had credit card debt in 2026 and nearly 1 in 3 had more than $25,000 in non-mortgage debt (survey of workers aged 25 and over). (EBRI and Greenwald (Retirement Confidence Survey 2026), Apr 2026)
US consumer credit outstanding, which leaves out loans secured by real estate, was $5,224.4 billion in September 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), of which $3,856.0 billion was nonrevolving credit. (Federal Reserve (G.19 consumer credit), Nov 2026)
US consumer credit grew at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.2% in Q3 2026: revolving credit at 4.1% and nonrevolving credit at 4.2%. (Federal Reserve (G.19 consumer credit), Nov 2026)

The Survey of Consumer Finances asks families what they owe. The G.19 release is a lender-reported total for consumer credit, and the EBRI and Greenwald figures come from a survey of workers. None of them is the New York Fed credit-report total above.

How many Americans are behind on their debts?

A small share of all balances is late, but the share of families reporting a late payment has jumped. Student loans and credit cards are where the trouble sits.

View data table

Share of US families late on a debt payment in the past year, by survey year. The Survey of Consumer Finances runs every three years.
Period	Value
2013	14.9%
2016	13.5%
2019	12.3%
2022	12.2%
2025	19.6%

Share of US families late on a debt payment in the past year, by survey year. The Survey of Consumer Finances runs every three years. (Federal Reserve (SCF 2025), Oct 2026)

5.0% of outstanding US household debt was in some stage of delinquency at the end of September 2026, up 0.3 percentage points from the previous quarter. (New York Fed (Household Debt and Credit Q3 2026), Nov 2026)
The annualised share of all US household debt balances moving into serious delinquency (90 days or more) was 2.64% in Q3 2026, down from 3.03% in Q3 2025. (New York Fed (Household Debt and Credit Q3 2026), Nov 2026)
For US credit card debt the flow into serious delinquency was 6.87% in Q3 2026, against 7.05% in Q3 2025; for auto loans it was 3.02%, against 2.99%. (New York Fed (Household Debt and Credit Q3 2026), Nov 2026)
For US student loans the flow into serious delinquency was 7.72% in Q3 2026, down from 14.26% in Q3 2025. It was 1.60% for mortgages (1.28% a year earlier), 1.17% for home equity lines of credit (1.27%) and 5.13% for other debt (5.35%). (New York Fed (Household Debt and Credit Q3 2026), Nov 2026)
10.9% of US student loan balances were 90 or more days past due in Q3 2026 (the stock delinquency rate), up from 10.6% in Q2 2026. (New York Fed (Household Debt and Credit Q3 2026), Nov 2026)
The share of US balances 90 or more days delinquent in Q3 2026 was 12.9% for credit cards, 9.63% for other debt, 5.66% for auto loans, 1.13% for mortgages, 0.85% for home equity lines of credit and 3.26% for all debt. (New York Fed (Household Debt and Credit Q3 2026), Nov 2026)
By borrower age, the share of US credit card balances moving into serious delinquency over the four quarters to Q3 2026 was 9.80% at 18-29, 8.11% at 30-39, 7.29% at 40-49, 6.47% at 50-59, 5.25% at 60-69 and 6.09% at 70 or over. (New York Fed (Household Debt and Credit Q3 2026), Nov 2026)
4.89% of US consumers had a third-party collection account on their credit report in Q3 2026, with an average collection amount of $1,608 per person with one. (New York Fed (Household Debt and Credit Q3 2026), Nov 2026)
About 135,000 US consumers had a bankruptcy notation added to their credit reports in Q3 2026. (New York Fed (Household Debt and Credit Q3 2026), Nov 2026)
8.2% of US families were late on a debt payment by two months or more in 2025, against 4.9% in 2022 and 6.9% in 2013. The Federal Reserve says families were more likely to be behind on their obligations than at any point since the 2010 survey. (Federal Reserve (SCF 2025), Oct 2026)
8.6% of US families had debt payments above 40% of their income in 2025, against 6.5% in 2022 and 8.2% in 2013. (Federal Reserve (SCF 2025), Oct 2026)

Three measures appear here and they are not interchangeable. The New York Fed flow rate is the annualised share of balances that became 90 or more days late. Its stock rate is the share of balances that are 90 or more days late at one moment. The Survey of Consumer Finances asks families whether they paid late in the past year. For the credit card flow rate we use the New York Fed press release figure; the breakdown by age comes from its data workbook.

How much credit card debt do Americans have?

It depends on who is counting. Credit-report data, lender data and household surveys each give a different total, and none of them is wrong. What they agree on is that card borrowing costs more than 20% a year.

View data table

US credit card balances on credit reports at the end of each year (fourth quarter), 2019 to 2025, and at the end of Q3 2026, in trillions of dollars. New York Fed panel only; not seasonally adjusted.
Period	Value
2019	$0.927tn
2020	$0.819tn
2021	$0.856tn
2022	$0.986tn
2023	$1.129tn
2024	$1.211tn
2025	$1.277tn
Q3 2026	$1.285tn

US credit card balances on credit reports at the end of each year (fourth quarter), 2019 to 2025, and at the end of Q3 2026, in trillions of dollars. New York Fed panel only; not seasonally adjusted. (New York Fed (Household Debt and Credit Q3 2026), Nov 2026)

Aggregate limits on US credit cards rose by $115 billion in Q3 2026. (New York Fed (Household Debt and Credit Q3 2026), Nov 2026)
US credit card balances by borrower age in Q3 2026: 18-29 $0.087 trillion, 30-39 $0.230 trillion, 40-49 $0.303 trillion, 50-59 $0.283 trillion, 60-69 $0.218 trillion and 70 or over $0.164 trillion. (New York Fed (Household Debt and Credit Q3 2026), Nov 2026)

Four producers measure US card debt in four ways: the New York Fed counts card balances on credit reports, TransUnion counts bankcards in its own credit files, the Federal Reserve G.19 release counts lender-reported revolving credit, and the Survey of Consumer Finances asks families what they still owe after their last payment. The Philadelphia Fed covers the largest banks only. We do not add these together or rank them.

How much does the average US card borrower owe?

Average US bankcard debt per borrower was $6,678 in Q3 2026, against $6,523 in Q3 2025, $6,380 in Q3 2024 and $6,088 in Q3 2023, on TransUnion's own credit-file data. (TransUnion (Q3 2026 credit report), Nov 2026)
Total US bankcard balances in TransUnion's files were $1.16 trillion in Q3 2026, against $1.11 trillion in Q3 2025, $1.06 trillion in Q3 2024 and $995 billion in Q3 2023. (TransUnion (Q3 2026 credit report), Nov 2026)
178.0 million US consumers carried a bankcard balance in Q3 2026, against 174.8 million in Q3 2025, 171.4 million in Q3 2024 and 168.6 million in Q3 2023 (TransUnion data). (TransUnion (Q3 2026 credit report), Nov 2026)
There were 590.5 million bankcards in the US in Q3 2026, up from 567.5 million a year earlier (TransUnion data). (TransUnion (Q3 2026 credit report), Nov 2026)
The US borrower-level bankcard delinquency rate (90 or more days past due) rose 13 basis points year on year to 2.50% in Q3 2026, while the balance-level rate fell from 2.05% to 1.99% (TransUnion data). (TransUnion (Q3 2026 credit report), Nov 2026)
US credit card charge-offs were $15.76 billion in Q3 2026, against $15.79 billion a year earlier (TransUnion data). (TransUnion (Q3 2026 credit report), Nov 2026)
44.7% of US families carried a credit card balance after their last payment in 2025; among them the median balance was $3,100 and the mean $8,000. (Federal Reserve (SCF 2025), Oct 2026)
US revolving consumer credit, most of which is credit cards, was $1,368.5 billion in September 2026 (lender-reported, seasonally adjusted, preliminary). (Federal Reserve (G.19 consumer credit), Nov 2026)
Total credit card balances at large US banks rose 3.4% year over year in Q2 2026, while revolving balances grew 1.5%. (Philadelphia Fed (large bank data Q2 2026), Oct 2026)

TransUnion is a credit bureau reporting its own files. Its figures cover bankcards only, so store cards are left out, and "per borrower" means per consumer with a bankcard balance. Its delinquency rates are defined differently from the New York Fed rates in the section above.

What is the average credit card interest rate, and who pays it?

Across all credit card accounts at US commercial banks the average interest rate was 21.22% in 2025 and 21.58% in 2024, up from 20.90% in 2023, 16.26% in 2022 and 14.60% in 2021. (Federal Reserve (G.19 consumer credit), Nov 2026)
On US credit card accounts assessed interest the average rate was 22.32% in 2025, 22.89% in 2024, 22.15% in 2023, 17.91% in 2022 and 16.45% in 2021. (Federal Reserve (G.19 consumer credit), Nov 2026)
82% of US adults had a credit card in 2025, and 45% of cardholders had carried a balance at least once in the past year, down from 57% in 2015. (Federal Reserve (SHED 2025), May 2026)
53% of respondents in a 2024 survey of US adults said they always pay their credit cards in full each month, six percentage points fewer than in 2021. (FINRA Foundation (NFCS 2024), Jul 2025)
The share of credit card accounts at large US banks making a full payment on the balance reached 37% in Q2 2026, matching the pandemic-era peak of Q2 2021. (Philadelphia Fed (large bank data Q2 2026), Oct 2026)
Borrowers with credit scores below 660 accounted for 18.5% of newly originated credit card accounts at large US banks in Q2 2026, up from 16.1% a year earlier and below a historical peak of 27% more than a decade ago. (Philadelphia Fed (large bank data Q2 2026), Oct 2026)
The average new credit card line at large US banks fell from $6,216 in Q2 2025 to $6,066 in Q2 2026. (Philadelphia Fed (large bank data Q2 2026), Oct 2026)

The rate on accounts assessed interest is the closer measure for people who carry a balance. Paying in full is measured three ways here: adults in the Federal Reserve survey, respondents in the FINRA Foundation study and accounts at the largest banks. The shares are not comparable.

How many Americans use buy now, pay later?

Surveys disagree on the level but agree on the direction: use is rising, and so is the share of users who pay late. Lower and middle earners use it most, and the better off rarely fall behind.

View data table

Share of US adults who used buy now, pay later in the prior 12 months, 2021 to 2025, in the Federal Reserve's household survey.
Period	Value
2021	10%
2022	12%
2023	14%
2024	15%
2025	16%

Share of US adults who used buy now, pay later in the prior 12 months, 2021 to 2025, in the Federal Reserve's household survey. (Federal Reserve (SHED 2025), May 2026)

16% of US adults used buy now, pay later in the 12 months before the 2025 survey, up from 10% in 2021, and 26% of users paid late, up from 15% in 2021. (Federal Reserve (SHED 2025), May 2026)
By income, buy now, pay later was used in 2025 by 18% of US adults with less than $25,000, 23% with $25,000 to $49,999, 18% with $50,000 to $99,999 and 12% with $100,000 or more. Among users, 40%, 33%, 25% and 11% paid late. (Federal Reserve (SHED 2025), May 2026)
By age, buy now, pay later was used in 2025 by 22% of US adults aged 18-29, 21% aged 30-44, 17% aged 45-59 and 9% aged 60 and over. Among users, 32%, 31%, 22% and 12% paid late. (Federal Reserve (SHED 2025), May 2026)
Buy now, pay later was used in 2025 by 12% of White, 29% of Black, 26% of Hispanic and 11% of Asian adults in the US, and by 14% of men and 19% of women. (Federal Reserve (SHED 2025), May 2026)
Among US adults who used buy now, pay later in the past year, 49% bought clothing or accessories with it, 32% electronics, 26% furniture or appliances, 20% groceries or food delivery, 19% travel and 8% medical or veterinary procedures (2025). (Federal Reserve (SHED 2025), May 2026)

What do other US surveys and the lenders' own data show?

23% of US adults in a separate 2024 survey said they had used buy now, pay later services in the last 12 months (FINRA Foundation study). (FINRA Foundation (NFCS 2024), Jul 2025)
21% of US consumers with a credit record financed at least one purchase with buy now, pay later from at least one of six large lenders in 2022. (CFPB (BNPL consumer use report), Jan 2025)
About 20% of those US borrowers were heavy users, averaging more than one loan a month. 63% took out multiple simultaneous loans at some point in 2022 and 33% did so across multiple firms. (CFPB (BNPL consumer use report), Jan 2025)
US buy now, pay later borrowers defaulted on 2% of their buy now, pay later loans, against 10% of the credit cards they held (2019-2022 average). (CFPB (BNPL consumer use report), Jan 2025)
Six large US lenders reported a combined 53.6 million consumers who took out at least one buy now, pay later loan in 2023, up 12% from 2022. The CFPB says the figure probably overstates the number of users, because one person can borrow from several lenders. (CFPB (BNPL market report), Dec 2025)
US buy now, pay later users took an average of 6.3 loans per lender in 2023. 4.1% of loans were assessed a late fee (5.2% in 2022) and 1.83% were charged off (2.63% in 2022). (CFPB (BNPL market report), Dec 2025)
Pay-in-four lending by the six US lenders grew from 19.8 million loans worth $2.7 billion in 2019 to 273.8 million loans worth $35.8 billion in 2022. The average loan was $135 in 2023, adjusted for inflation. (CFPB (BNPL market report), Dec 2025)

The three shares are not one measure. The Federal Reserve survey (16%, 2025) and the FINRA Foundation study (23%, 2024) ask adults in different words. The CFPB share (21%, 2022) is of consumers with a credit record, matched to loans from six lenders. The CFPB market data covers pay-in-four loans from those six firms only, not the whole market.

How much do Americans have saved for retirement?

No single figure answers this, because each source counts a different group. Plan providers report on their own customers and the Federal Reserve reports on families that hold accounts. Where both are published, the average sits far above the median.

View data table

Median account balance of Vanguard plan participants in the US by age, 2025. Vanguard's own recordkeeping data; the balance is the one held in the Vanguard plan, not a person's total retirement savings.
Period	Value
Under 25	$2,234
25-34	$18,732
35-44	$46,919
45-54	$78,730
55-64	$107,269
65 or over	$103,202

Median account balance of Vanguard plan participants in the US by age, 2025. Vanguard's own recordkeeping data; the balance is the one held in the Vanguard plan, not a person's total retirement savings. (Vanguard (How America Saves 2026), Jun 2026)

Average account balances of Vanguard plan participants in the US by age in 2025: under 25 $7,259, 25-34 $50,261, 35-44 $120,742, 45-54 $214,991, 55-64 $305,006 and 65 or over $330,186. (Vanguard (How America Saves 2026), Jun 2026)
Median account balances of Vanguard plan participants in the US by age in 2025: under 25 $2,234, 25-34 $18,732, 35-44 $46,919, 45-54 $78,730, 55-64 $107,269 and 65 or over $103,202. (Vanguard (How America Saves 2026), Jun 2026)
Among Vanguard plan participants in the US in 2025, men had an average balance of $194,597 and a median of $52,309; women had an average of $146,476 and a median of $42,139. (Vanguard (How America Saves 2026), Jun 2026)
The average balance of Vanguard plan participants was $141,542 in 2021, $112,572 in 2022, $134,128 in 2023 and $148,153 in 2024. The median was $35,345, $27,376, $35,286 and $38,176. (Vanguard (How America Saves 2026), Jun 2026)

Vanguard's figures cover the defined contribution plans it keeps records for, about 1,300 plans and 4.6 million participant accounts in 2025. They describe those participants, not all US workers or households.

What do Fidelity's own accounts show?

Average balances on Fidelity's platform at Q2 2026 were $155,800 for 401(k) accounts (up 13% from Q2 2025), $144,523 for IRAs (up 10%) and $145,000 for 403(b) accounts (up 16%). Fidelity describes all three as record highs. (Fidelity (Q2 2026 retirement analysis), Jun 2026)

Fidelity reports averages only, from its own records: 27,300 corporate defined contribution plans with 25.8 million participants, and 20.3 million IRA accounts. These are not the same accounts as Vanguard's and the two firms' averages should not be combined.

What do US families hold in retirement accounts?

54.9% of US families held retirement accounts such as IRAs and 401(k) plans in 2025. Among families holding them the median value was $106,000 and the mean $451,100 (2025 dollars). (Federal Reserve (SCF 2025), Oct 2026)
Mean retirement savings among US families with an IRA or defined contribution plan in 2025 were $48.4k where the reference person was under 35, $182.4k at 35-44, $415.8k at 45-54 and $670.2k at 55-64. (Federal Reserve (SCF 2025), Oct 2026)
In the 2016 survey the same means for US families were $43.8k (under 35), $135.2k (35-44), $291.3k (45-54) and $504.8k (55-64). (Federal Reserve (SCF 2025), Oct 2026)
Total US retirement assets were $51.2 trillion as of 30 June 2026, up 7.9% from March, and accounted for 33% of all household financial assets in the US (industry association estimate). (ICI (US retirement market Q2 2026), Sep 2026)
US IRAs held $19.9 trillion at the end of Q2 2026 and defined contribution plans $15.0 trillion, of which $10.8 trillion was in 401(k) plans (industry association estimate). (ICI (US retirement market Q2 2026), Sep 2026)

The Survey of Consumer Finances counts families, and its median and mean are among families that hold a retirement account. The Investment Company Institute total is an aggregate estimate that also includes government pension plans and annuity reserves.

Are Americans on track for retirement?

Most non-retirees do not think so, and confidence fell in 2026. Access is part of the story: a retirement plan at work is far from universal in the private sector, and automatic enrolment is what gets people saving.

View data table

Share of non-retired US adults who view their retirement savings plan as on track, 2017 to 2025. The survey did not define "on track", so this is a self-assessment.
Period	Value
2017	38%
2018	36%
2019	37%
2020	36%
2021	40%
2022	31%
2023	34%
2024	35%
2025	35%

Share of non-retired US adults who view their retirement savings plan as on track, 2017 to 2025. The survey did not define "on track", so this is a self-assessment. (Federal Reserve (SHED 2025), May 2026)

35% of non-retired US adults thought their retirement savings plan was on track in 2025, unchanged from 2024 and down from 40% in 2021 (self-assessed). (Federal Reserve (SHED 2025), May 2026)
67% of US adults had a tax-preferred retirement account or a pension in 2025: 29% of those aged 18-24, 66% aged 25-54, 79% aged 55-64 and 78% aged 65 and over. (Federal Reserve (SHED 2025), May 2026)
61% of US adults had a tax-preferred retirement account such as a 401(k) or IRA in 2025. 29% had a defined benefit pension through an employer: 5% of those aged 18-24, 20% aged 25-54, 39% aged 55-64 and 52% aged 65 and over. (Federal Reserve (SHED 2025), May 2026)
14% of non-retired US adults borrowed from, cashed out or reduced contributions to their retirement accounts in the 12 months before the 2025 survey. (Federal Reserve (SHED 2025), May 2026)
Retirement benefits were available to 72% of US private industry workers in March 2026, and 52% of private industry workers took part in a plan. (BLS (Employee Benefits March 2026), Sep 2026)
Among US state and local government workers, 92% had access to retirement benefits in March 2026 and 81% took part. (BLS (Employee Benefits March 2026), Sep 2026)
64% of Americans aged 25 and over felt confident in 2026 that they have enough money to live comfortably throughout retirement: 61% of workers, down 6 percentage points from 2025, and 73% of retirees, down 5 points. (EBRI and Greenwald (Retirement Confidence Survey 2026), Apr 2026)
The median expected retirement age among US workers was 65 in 2026, while retirees reported a median actual retirement age of 62 and nearly half said they retired earlier than planned. (EBRI and Greenwald (Retirement Confidence Survey 2026), Apr 2026)
Only about half of US workers and 6 in 10 retirees were confident in 2026 that Social Security and Medicare will continue to provide benefits of equal value. (EBRI and Greenwald (Retirement Confidence Survey 2026), Apr 2026)
US adults said in 2026 that they would need $1.46 million on average to retire comfortably, against $1.26 million in 2025, $1.46 million in 2024, $1.27 million in 2023 and $1.25 million in 2022 (Northwestern Mutual's own survey; a target, not actual savings). (Northwestern Mutual (Planning and Progress 2026), Apr 2026)
46% of US adults said in 2026 that they do not expect to be financially prepared for retirement, and 48% thought it somewhat or very likely that they will outlive their savings (Northwestern Mutual survey). (Northwestern Mutual (Planning and Progress 2026), Apr 2026)
23% of US adults with retirement savings said in 2026 that they had one year or less of their current annual income set aside for retirement (Northwestern Mutual survey). (Northwestern Mutual (Planning and Progress 2026), Apr 2026)

The surveys here ask different people. The Federal Reserve survey covers adults, the Bureau of Labor Statistics surveys employers about their workers, EBRI and Greenwald surveyed 2,544 Americans aged 25 and over online in January 2026, and Northwestern Mutual's figures come from a Harris Poll of 4,375 adults in January 2026.

How much do workers save in workplace retirement plans?

The participant-weighted participation rate in Vanguard plans in the US was an estimated 83% in 2025, after 82% in each year from 2021 to 2024. The plan-weighted rate was an estimated 86%. (Vanguard (How America Saves 2026), Jun 2026)
The average participant deferral rate in Vanguard plans was an estimated 7.6% in 2025 and the median 6.6%. The average total contribution rate, participant plus employer, was an estimated 12.1%. (Vanguard (How America Saves 2026), Jun 2026)
Participation in Vanguard plans was an estimated 94% under automatic enrolment in 2025, against 64% under voluntary enrolment (participant-weighted). (Vanguard (How America Saves 2026), Jun 2026)
61% of Vanguard defined contribution plans had adopted automatic enrolment by the end of 2025, including 79% of plans with at least 1,000 participants. 62% of automatic enrolment plans defaulted employees at a deferral rate of 4% or higher, against 43% in 2015. (Vanguard (How America Saves 2026), Jun 2026)
84% of Vanguard plan participants used target-date funds when offered in 2025, and 61% held a single target-date fund. (Vanguard (How America Saves 2026), Jun 2026)
6% of Vanguard plan participants started a hardship withdrawal in 2025, up from 5% in 2024 and 2% in 2021. 13% had a plan loan outstanding, with an average loan balance of about $11,000. (Vanguard (How America Saves 2026), Jun 2026)
The total average 401(k) savings rate on Fidelity's platform was 14.4% in Q2 2026: an employee contribution rate of 9.6%, which Fidelity calls a record, plus an average employer contribution of 4.8%. For 403(b) participants the total was 12%. (Fidelity (Q2 2026 retirement analysis), Jun 2026)
81.2% of 401(k) participants on Fidelity's platform saved enough in Q2 2026 to receive their employer's full matching contribution. (Fidelity (Q2 2026 retirement analysis), Jun 2026)

Vanguard and Fidelity each report on plans they administer, and their saving rates are worked out on different sets of plans, so they are not comparable. Vanguard's 2025 participation and deferral values are its own estimates. Vanguard's participation rates are among employees eligible for a plan that exists; the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates above are among all workers.

How many Americans have no bank account?

Few, but the answer changes with the unit counted. The Federal Reserve counts adults and the FDIC counts households, so the two rates should not be read as one trend. Either way, being unbanked is mostly a low-income problem.

View data table

Share of US adults who were unbanked, 2015 to 2025, in the Federal Reserve's household survey. This is an adult-level rate and is not the FDIC household rate.
Period	Value
2015	8%
2016	7%
2017	5%
2018	6%
2019	6%
2020	5%
2021	6%
2022	6%
2023	6%
2024	6%
2025	6%

Share of US adults who were unbanked, 2015 to 2025, in the Federal Reserve's household survey. This is an adult-level rate and is not the FDIC household rate. (Federal Reserve (SHED 2025), May 2026)

6% of US adults were unbanked in 2025, meaning neither they nor a spouse or partner had a checking, savings or money market account. The rate was 6% in every year from 2021 to 2025 and 8% in 2015. (Federal Reserve (SHED 2025), May 2026)
21% of US adults with income below $25,000 were unbanked in 2025, against 1% of adults with income of $100,000 or more. 94% of all adults had a bank account. (Federal Reserve (SHED 2025), May 2026)
81% of US adults in a 2024 survey used their mobile devices to access their checking or savings accounts. (FINRA Foundation (NFCS 2024), Jul 2025)

What does the FDIC household survey show?

95.8% of US households, about 128.0 million, were banked in 2023. The household unbanked rate had been 4.5% in 2021, a difference that is not statistically significant. (FDIC (2023 household survey), Nov 2024)
Between 2011, when the US household unbanked rate was at its highest level since the survey began in 2009, and 2023, the rate fell by almost half (the FDIC's wording). (FDIC (2023 household survey), Nov 2024)
14.2% of US households, about 19.0 million, were underbanked in 2023: they had a bank account but had used nonbank services such as check cashing, money orders or payday loans in the past 12 months. (FDIC (2023 household survey), Nov 2024)
42.3% of unbanked US households in 2023 said they did not have enough money to meet minimum balance requirements, and 23.3% gave that as their main reason for having no account. (FDIC (2023 household survey), Nov 2024)
Not trusting banks was the second-most cited main reason among unbanked US households in 2023 (15.7%), and 33.4% gave a main reason related to fees or a minimum balance. (FDIC (2023 household survey), Nov 2024)
11.2% of working-age US households with a disability were unbanked in 2023, against 3.7% of those without. The rate was 12.3% for single-parent households and 2.3% for married-couple households with children. (FDIC (2023 household survey), Nov 2024)
Among US households with income between $50,000 and $75,000, 3.5% of Black and 4.5% of Hispanic households were unbanked in 2023, against 0.8% of White households. (FDIC (2023 household survey), Nov 2024)
48.3% of banked US households used mobile banking as their primary way of reaching their account in 2023. 70.5% used an off-site channel (mobile, online or telephone) and 28.9% an in-person channel (ATM or bank teller). (FDIC (2023 household survey), Nov 2024)

The FDIC survey counts households and was fielded in June 2023; it runs every two years with a sample of almost 30,000 households. The Federal Reserve rate above counts adults in 2025. The two are different surveys with different units.

How financially literate are Americans?

Not very, on either of the two main tests. Risk, compound interest and bond prices trip up most people, and confidence runs well ahead of knowledge.

1 Interest rate 69%
2 Mortgage 69%
3 Inflation 58%
4 Risk 41%
5 Probability 35%
6 Compound debt 29%
7 Bond price 25%

Share of US adults answering each of the seven financial literacy quiz questions correctly, 2024, in the FINRA Foundation's National Financial Capability Study. (FINRA Foundation (NFCS 2024), Jul 2025)

4% of US adults answered all seven financial literacy quiz questions correctly in 2024, and 46% answered at least four correctly, little changed from 2021. (FINRA Foundation (NFCS 2024), Jul 2025)
Share of US adults answering each quiz question correctly in 2024: interest rate 69%, mortgage 69%, inflation 58%, risk 41%, probability 35%, compound debt 29% and bond price 25%. (FINRA Foundation (NFCS 2024), Jul 2025)
Between 2009 and 2024 the share of US adults answering correctly fell from 78% to 69% on the interest rate question, from 65% to 58% on inflation, from 53% to 41% on risk and from 28% to 25% on bond prices. (FINRA Foundation (NFCS 2024), Jul 2025)
US adults answered 3.3 of the seven quiz questions correctly on average in 2024: men 3.6 and women 2.9; ages 18-34 2.7, 35-54 3.2 and 55 and over 3.7. (FINRA Foundation (NFCS 2024), Jul 2025)
The average number of correct answers out of seven in 2024 was 2.3 for US adults with income under $25,000 and 4.0 for those with $75,000 or more; 2.4 for those with high school or less and 4.1 for those with a college degree or more. (FINRA Foundation (NFCS 2024), Jul 2025)
64% of US adults gave their own financial knowledge high marks in 2024 (5 to 7 on a 7-point scale), but among them only 32% could correctly identify how quickly compound interest will double a debt. (FINRA Foundation (NFCS 2024), Jul 2025)

What does the P-Fin Index show?

The average share of P-Fin Index questions that US adults answer correctly has never exceeded 52% in the ten years of the index. 25% of adults answered seven or fewer of the 28 questions correctly in 2026, against 20% in 2017. (TIAA Institute-GFLEC (P-Fin Index 2026), Jun 2026)
By generation, the average share of P-Fin questions answered correctly in the US in 2026 was 38% for Gen Z, 46% for Gen Y, 49% for Gen X and 54% for baby boomers. (TIAA Institute-GFLEC (P-Fin Index 2026), Jun 2026)
The share of US adults answering seven or fewer of the 28 P-Fin questions correctly in 2026 was 37% of Gen Z, 28% of Gen Y, 21% of Gen X and 15% of baby boomers. (TIAA Institute-GFLEC (P-Fin Index 2026), Jun 2026)
US men correctly answered 50% of the P-Fin questions on average in 2026 and women 44%. (TIAA Institute-GFLEC (P-Fin Index 2026), Jun 2026)
By topic, the share of P-Fin questions answered correctly in 2026 by US men and women was: borrowing 60% and 56%, saving 57% and 51%, consuming 48% and 48%, earning 48% and 44%, go-to information sources 50% and 45%, investing 50% and 39%, insuring 44% and 38%, comprehending risk 39% and 33%. (TIAA Institute-GFLEC (P-Fin Index 2026), Jun 2026)
On comprehending risk, US adults answered 36% of the P-Fin questions correctly on average in 2026, against 39% in 2017. (TIAA Institute-GFLEC (P-Fin Index 2026), Jun 2026)
19% of US adults said in 2026 that they had used an AI tool to get information about a personal finance topic. 4% use AI regularly, at least monthly, to help manage their personal finances and another 9% use it occasionally. (TIAA Institute-GFLEC (P-Fin Index 2026), Jun 2026)

The two tests are different instruments. The FINRA Foundation study asks seven quiz questions of more than 25,000 US adults online (2024). The TIAA Institute-GFLEC Personal Finance Index asks 28 questions of 3,602 US adults on a probability panel (January 2026). Scores on one cannot be converted to the other.

How financially resilient are UK households?

A large minority of UK adults have little slack, and that share has barely moved since 2017. A sudden bill of a few hundred pounds would defeat one household in four in Great Britain.

1 16 to 29 26%
2 30 to 49 31%
3 50 to 69 23%
4 70 and over 15%

Share of adults in Great Britain whose household could not pay an unexpected but necessary expense of £850, by age, May 2026. (ONS (opinions survey, May 2026), Jun 2026)

The share of UK adults with low financial resilience was 24% (12.9 million) in May 2022 and 23% (11.6 million) in 2017. The FCA says the May 2024 share is not statistically different from 2022. (FCA (Financial Lives 2024), May 2025)
In May 2024, 7.6 million UK adults (14%) had low savings, 7.3 million (13%) were heavily burdened by bills or credit commitments and 4.5 million (8%) were in financial difficulty. (FCA (Financial Lives 2024), May 2025)
10% of UK adults had no cash savings at all in 2024, and another 21% had less than £1,000. (FCA (Financial Lives 2024), May 2025)
42% of UK adults could not cover their living expenses for three months or more in 2024 if they lost their main source of household income, and 9% could not cover them for a week. (FCA (Financial Lives 2024), May 2025)
The UK adults most likely to have low financial resilience in May 2024 were lone parents (59%), unemployed adults (50%), adults with household income under £15,000 a year (48%) and renters (46%). (FCA (Financial Lives 2024), May 2025)
The UK adults least likely to have low financial resilience in May 2024 were the semi-retired (10%), retirees (13%) and those with household income of £50,000 or more (13%). The North East (29%) and North West (28%) had higher shares. (FCA (Financial Lives 2024), May 2025)
22% of all UK adults felt overwhelmed and stressed when dealing with their finances in 2024, and 40% of adults with credit or loans said they suffer anxiety or stress because of their debt. (FCA (Financial Lives 2024), May 2025)
25% of adults in Great Britain said in May 2026 that their household would be unable to pay an unexpected but necessary expense of £850, similar to April 2026 (23%) and May 2025 (24%). (ONS (opinions survey, May 2026), Jun 2026)
In Great Britain 20% of men and 30% of women said in May 2026 that their household could not pay an unexpected £850 expense. (ONS (opinions survey, May 2026), Jun 2026)
35% of adults in Great Britain said in May 2026 that they think they would be unable to save any money in the next 12 months. (ONS (opinions survey, May 2026), Jun 2026)
55% of adults in Great Britain said in August 2026 that their cost of living had increased compared with a month earlier, below the 79% of April 2026 and the 62% of August 2025. (ONS (opinions survey, Aug 2026), Sep 2026)
62% of adults in Great Britain were very or somewhat worried about rising costs of living in August 2026. The most common responses were spending less on non-essentials (59%), shopping around more (43%) and spending less on food shopping and essentials (38%). (ONS (opinions survey, Aug 2026), Sep 2026)

The FCA Financial Lives survey covers 17,950 UK adults (fieldwork February to June 2024). Low financial resilience means low savings, a heavy burden from bills or credit, or missed bills in three or more of the last six months. The ONS figures cover adults in Great Britain. The £850 question is the nearest UK relative of the US $400 question but uses a different amount and wording, so the two should not be compared.

How do UK adults fare on pensions, bank accounts and money skills?

19% of UK non-retirees had no private pension in 2024 (21% in 2022), while 59% were currently paying into a pension. (FCA (Financial Lives 2024), May 2025)
31% of UK non-retirees had not thought in 2024 about how they will manage financially in retirement. (FCA (Financial Lives 2024), May 2025)
38% of UK adults paying into a defined contribution pension in 2024 were not aware how much they or their employer pays in. (FCA (Financial Lives 2024), May 2025)
1.6% of UK adults had no current account in 2024 (2.1% in 2022). The unbanked population fell to 0.9 million adults from 1.1 million in 2022. (FCA (Financial Lives 2024), May 2025)
52.5 million UK adults held a current account in 2024, up from 50.8 million in 2022, and 4.3 million used basic bank accounts. (FCA (Financial Lives 2024), May 2025)
90% of UK adults had cash savings in 2024 but only 35% held investments. 61% of adults with £10,000 or more in investible assets held all or at least three-quarters of it in cash. (FCA (Financial Lives 2024), May 2025)
36% of UK adults had low financial knowledge in 2024 (38% in 2022) and 18% had poor financial numeracy. (FCA (Financial Lives 2024), May 2025)
6.5 million UK adults (12%) had low financial capability in 2024, down from 7.4 million (14%) in 2022. (FCA (Financial Lives 2024), May 2025)

These are the FCA's own measures of knowledge and capability, not an international test score. The UK unbanked figure counts adults with no current account and is defined differently from the US measures above.

How much do UK households save, borrow and own?

UK households are saving a larger share of their resources than before the pandemic, while credit card borrowing is growing at a double-digit annual rate. Wealth is concentrated among older homeowners.

View data table

UK households' saving ratio, annual, 2018 to 2025, as a percentage of household resources. National accounts series; the latest quarters are in the takeaways above.
Period	Value
2018	5.6%
2019	5.7%
2020	16.5%
2021	12.6%
2022	5.0%
2023	6.4%
2024	9.5%
2025	9.6%

UK households' saving ratio, annual, 2018 to 2025, as a percentage of household resources. National accounts series; the latest quarters are in the takeaways above. (ONS (household saving ratio), Sep 2026)

On an annual basis the UK household saving ratio was 9.6% in 2025 and 9.5% in 2024, against 5.7% in 2019. (ONS (household saving ratio), Sep 2026)
Annual growth in UK credit card borrowing was 13.1% in September 2026, against 13.3% in August, and all consumer credit grew 9.8%. (Bank of England (Money and Credit, Sep 2026), Oct 2026)
Net consumer credit borrowing by UK individuals was £1.9 billion in September 2026, of which £0.7 billion was through credit cards. (Bank of England (Money and Credit, Sep 2026), Oct 2026)
The effective interest rate on interest-charging UK credit cards was 21.71% in September 2026 (21.55% in August). It was 20.79% on interest-charging overdrafts and 9.85% on new personal loans. (Bank of England (Money and Credit, Sep 2026), Oct 2026)
The effective interest rate on newly drawn UK mortgages was 4.63% in September 2026, and new time deposits paid 4.42%. (Bank of England (Money and Credit, Sep 2026), Oct 2026)
20% of UK adults (10.9 million) used deferred payment credit, the unregulated form of buy now, pay later, in the 12 months to May 2024, up from 17% (8.8 million) in 2022. (FCA (Financial Lives 2024), May 2025)
Use of deferred payment credit in the UK was highest among lone parents (40%), women aged 25-34 (35%) and Black adults (26%) in the 12 months to May 2024. (FCA (Financial Lives 2024), May 2025)
6.4% of UK adults held high-cost credit in 2024, and 2.8 million (5%) had persistent credit card debt. (FCA (Financial Lives 2024), May 2025)

The UK saving ratio is a national-accounts measure, like the US personal saving rate, but the definitions differ and the two percentages should not be compared directly. The Bank of England rates are effective rates, meaning the interest actually paid, and are measured differently from the US card rates. The UK buy now, pay later share is not comparable with the US survey shares.

How wealthy are households in Great Britain?

Median household wealth in Great Britain was £293,700 in April 2020 to March 2022. The wealthiest 10% of households had £1,200,500 or more and the least wealthy 10% had £16,500 or less. (ONS (household wealth 2020-2022), Jan 2025)
The wealthiest 1% of households in Great Britain held 10% of all household wealth in April 2020 to March 2022, the same share as the least wealthy 50% of households combined. (ONS (household wealth 2020-2022), Jan 2025)
Median household wealth in Great Britain rose with age, from £15,200 for households with a head aged 16 to 24 to a peak of £502,500 for those with a head aged 65 to 74 (April 2020 to March 2022). (ONS (household wealth 2020-2022), Jan 2025)
Households in Great Britain that owned their home outright had median wealth of £647,400, those with a mortgage £404,700 and those who rented £40,800 (April 2020 to March 2022). (ONS (household wealth 2020-2022), Jan 2025)
Net property wealth made up 40% of household wealth in Great Britain, private pension wealth 35%, net financial wealth 14% and physical wealth 10% (April 2020 to March 2022). (ONS (household wealth 2020-2022), Jan 2025)
Median household financial wealth in Great Britain was £10,400 in April 2020 to March 2022. Regional median household wealth ranged from £489,800 in the South East to £179,900 in the North East. (ONS (household wealth 2020-2022), Jan 2025)

The ONS wealth figures cover Great Britain, not Northern Ireland, and include private pension wealth. April 2020 to March 2022 is the latest published round. They are not comparable with the US net worth figures, which use different definitions.

How do the euro area and the rest of the world compare?

Euro area households save a far larger share of income on the ECB's gross measure, though its definition differs from the US and UK ones. Worldwide, most adults now have a financial account, but more than a billion still do not.

1 East Asia and Pacific 83%
2 Sub-Saharan Africa 58%
3 Middle East and North Africa 53%

Share of adults with a financial account in three developing regions, 2024. Only the regions for which the World Bank release gives an exact percentage are drawn. (World Bank (Global Findex 2025), Jul 2025)

The euro area household gross saving rate was 14.4% in Q2 2026, against 14.6% in the previous quarter. (ECB (euro area households Q2 2026), Oct 2026)
The euro area household debt-to-income ratio was 80.3% in Q2 2026, against 80.6% a year earlier, and household net worth grew 5.3% year on year. (ECB (euro area households Q2 2026), Oct 2026)
Nearly 80% of adults worldwide had a financial account in 2024, up from 50% in 2011, while 1.3 billion adults still lacked access to financial services. (World Bank (Global Findex 2025), Jul 2025)
Globally, 77% of women had a financial account in 2024 compared with 81% of men. (World Bank (Global Findex 2025), Jul 2025)
40% of adults in developing economies saved in a financial account in 2024, a 16 percentage point increase since 2021, and 10% used a mobile-money account to save. (World Bank (Global Findex 2025), Jul 2025)
Account ownership in Sub-Saharan Africa grew to 58% of adults in 2024, from 49% in 2021, and in the Middle East and North Africa to 53%, from 45%. (World Bank (Global Findex 2025), Jul 2025)
83% of adults in East Asia and Pacific had a financial account in 2024, nearly 80% in South Asia, where 90% of both men and women in India had one, and about 70% in Latin America and the Caribbean. (World Bank (Global Findex 2025), Jul 2025)

The ECB rate is a gross saving rate for the euro area, measured before depreciation on a four-quarter basis, so it cannot be set against the US rate or the UK ratio. The World Bank figures are global or cover developing economies only, count bank and mobile-money accounts, and are not comparable with the US unbanked measures.

Glossary

Median: The middle value when all households or people are lined up from lowest to highest. Half sit above it and half below.
Mean (average): The total divided by the number of households or people. A few very large values pull it up, which is why mean wealth and mean balances sit far above the median.
Net worth: What a household owns minus what it owes. Producers differ on what counts: the Census Bureau measure leaves out equity in pension plans.
Conditional median: The median among only those families that hold the asset or debt in question, used in the Survey of Consumer Finances.
Personal saving rate: US national-accounts measure from the Bureau of Economic Analysis: personal saving as a percentage of disposable personal income.
Household saving ratio: UK national-accounts measure from the ONS: household saving as a percentage of household resources.
Gross saving rate: The ECB's euro area household saving measure, taken before depreciation.
SHED: Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking, the Federal Reserve's yearly survey of US adults.
SCF: Survey of Consumer Finances, the Federal Reserve's survey of US family balance sheets, run every three years.
SIPP: Survey of Income and Program Participation, the Census Bureau household survey behind its wealth report.
NFCS: National Financial Capability Study, a survey of US adults by the FINRA Investor Education Foundation.
P-Fin Index: TIAA Institute-GFLEC Personal Finance Index, a yearly 28-question test of US adults.
G.19: The Federal Reserve's monthly consumer credit release, built from lender reports. It leaves out loans secured by real estate.
Revolving credit: Credit that can be borrowed, repaid and borrowed again up to a limit. Most of it is credit cards.
Delinquency (stock): The share of balances that are late at one point in time, for example 90 or more days past due.
Delinquency (flow): The share of balances that became late during a period. The New York Fed publishes it as an annualised transition rate.
Charge-off: A debt the lender has written off as unlikely to be collected.
Unbanked: Having no bank account. The Federal Reserve counts adults, the FDIC counts households and the FCA counts UK adults with no current account.
Underbanked: FDIC term for a household that has a bank account but also used nonbank services such as check cashing or payday loans in the past 12 months.
BNPL: Buy now, pay later: short-term credit that splits a purchase into instalments.
Pay-in-four: The standard buy now, pay later loan, repaid in four instalments.
Defined contribution plan: A retirement plan such as a 401(k) in which the worker and employer pay into an individual account.
Defined benefit pension: A pension that pays a set income in retirement, usually based on pay and years of service.
Deferral rate: The share of pay a worker puts into a workplace retirement plan.
Consumer unit: Bureau of Labor Statistics term for a household or a financially independent individual.
Low financial resilience: FCA term for UK adults with low savings, a heavy burden from bills or credit, or missed bills in three or more of the last six months.

Methodology and sources

Every figure on this page comes from the public body, research institute or company that produced it, and each one links to that source with its release date. The US sources are the Federal Reserve Board (its household survey, the Survey of Consumer Finances and the G.19 release), the New York and Philadelphia Federal Reserve Banks, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the FDIC, the CFPB, the FINRA Foundation, the TIAA Institute and GFLEC, EBRI and Greenwald Research, Gallup, the Investment Company Institute, and the firms Vanguard, Fidelity, TransUnion, Bankrate, Bank of America Institute and Northwestern Mutual, whose figures describe their own customers, files or surveys. UK figures come from the FCA, the ONS and the Bank of England; euro area figures from the ECB; global figures from the World Bank. Measures that differ are kept apart: card debt from credit reports, credit files, lender reports and family surveys; buy now, pay later use from different surveys and lender data; emergency savings questions; family and household net worth; adult and household unbanked rates; retirement balances at Vanguard, at Fidelity and among families; and the US, UK and euro area saving rates. They are never added together or drawn in one chart, and medians and means are labelled as such. We left out the average US credit score, because the publisher's release could not be opened, and any value that could only be read from a chart label and not from text or a data table. For the New York Fed credit card flow into serious delinquency we use the press release figure. Preliminary and estimated values are marked. The page is reviewed monthly and figures are replaced when a producer publishes a newer release.

Bank of America Institute (paycheck to paycheck) · Nov 2025
Bank of England (Money and Credit, Sep 2026) · Oct 2026
Bankrate (Emergency Savings Report 2026) · Feb 2026
BEA (Personal Income and Outlays, Sep 2026) · Oct 2026
BEA (personal saving rate) · Oct 2026
BLS (Consumer Expenditures 2025) · Oct 2026
BLS (Employee Benefits March 2026) · Sep 2026
Census Bureau (income and poverty 2025) · Sep 2026
Census Bureau (Wealth of Households 2024) · Jul 2026
CFPB (BNPL consumer use report) · Jan 2025
CFPB (BNPL market report) · Dec 2025
EBRI and Greenwald (Retirement Confidence Survey 2026) · Apr 2026
ECB (euro area households Q2 2026) · Oct 2026
FCA (Financial Lives 2024) · May 2025
FDIC (2023 household survey) · Nov 2024
FDIC (2023 household survey) · Nov 2024
Federal Reserve (G.19 consumer credit) · Nov 2026
Federal Reserve (SCF 2025) · Oct 2026
Federal Reserve (SHED 2025) · May 2026
Federal Reserve (SHED 2025) · May 2026
Fidelity (Q2 2026 retirement analysis) · Jun 2026
FINRA Foundation (NFCS 2024) · Jul 2025
Gallup (Economy and Personal Finance 2026) · Apr 2026
ICI (US retirement market Q2 2026) · Sep 2026
New York Fed (Household Debt and Credit Q3 2026) · Nov 2026
New York Fed (Household Debt and Credit Q3 2026) · Nov 2026
New York Fed (Household Debt and Credit Q3 2026) · Nov 2026
Northwestern Mutual (Planning and Progress 2026) · Apr 2026
ONS (household saving ratio) · Sep 2026
ONS (household wealth 2020-2022) · Jan 2025
ONS (opinions survey, Aug 2026) · Sep 2026
ONS (opinions survey, May 2026) · Jun 2026
Philadelphia Fed (large bank data Q2 2026) · Oct 2026
TIAA Institute-GFLEC (P-Fin Index 2026) · Jun 2026
TransUnion (Q3 2026 credit report) · Nov 2026
Vanguard (How America Saves 2026) · Jun 2026
World Bank (Global Findex 2025) · Jul 2025