42.3% of household heads said in September 2026 that their household was financially worse off than a year earlier, up from 33.0% in September 2025. 9.1% said "much worse off" and 33.2% "somewhat worse off." Only 17.9% said they were better off. Looking ahead, 34.5% expected to be worse off a year from now, compared with 30.9% a year earlier.
Each month the New York Fed's Survey of Consumer Expectations asks household heads whether they and their family are better or worse off financially than 12 months earlier, and whether they expect to be better or worse off 12 months from now. The figures here combine the "much" and "somewhat" answers.
What changed
The worse-off share rose 3.7 points from August to September 2026 and 9.3 points over the year. It is still below the series high of 51.3% in June 2022, when inflation was near its peak, but well above the 2019 average of 17.2%, before the pandemic. The lowest reading was 14.2% in March 2017.
Month by month, past year
| Survey month | Worse off than a year ago | Better off than a year ago | Expect to be worse off a year from now | Expect to be better off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2026 | 42.3% | 17.9% | 34.5% | 24.1% |
| Aug 2026 | 38.6% | 18.3% | 32.6% | 25.9% |
| Jul 2026 | 37.6% | 21.0% | 30.3% | 26.3% |
| Jun 2026 | 39.4% | 20.0% | 34.0% | 27.3% |
| May 2026 | 43.7% | 18.0% | 36.0% | 22.9% |
| Apr 2026 | 41.5% | 18.5% | 33.3% | 25.3% |
| Mar 2026 | 37.7% | 22.1% | 36.0% | 26.2% |
| Feb 2026 | 36.0% | 22.3% | 28.9% | 28.3% |
| Jan 2026 | 39.1% | 21.0% | 29.4% | 29.1% |
| Dec 2025 | 36.4% | 20.7% | 28.2% | 31.3% |
| Nov 2025 | 39.0% | 17.6% | 31.4% | 26.4% |
| Oct 2025 | 34.4% | 22.5% | 31.7% | 27.5% |
| Sep 2025 | 33.0% | 22.3% | 30.9% | 27.8% |
Yearly averages since 2013
| Year | Average share worse off than a year ago | Average share better off | Average share expecting to be worse off | Months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 39.5% | 19.9% | 32.8% | 9 |
| 2025 | 34.9% | 19.8% | 29.8% | 12 |
| 2024 | 36.0% | 22.6% | 22.8% | 12 |
| 2023 | 40.9% | 19.8% | 28.7% | 12 |
| 2022 | 44.8% | 17.4% | 34.4% | 12 |
| 2021 | 25.2% | 25.8% | 21.7% | 12 |
| 2020 | 26.8% | 24.4% | 19.0% | 12 |
| 2019 | 17.2% | 35.4% | 12.4% | 12 |
| 2018 | 17.1% | 37.2% | 11.9% | 12 |
| 2017 | 17.4% | 33.2% | 12.6% | 12 |
| 2016 | 22.8% | 28.2% | 16.6% | 12 |
| 2015 | 22.8% | 31.4% | 15.7% | 12 |
| 2014 | 26.8% | 28.1% | 18.6% | 12 |
| 2013 | 29.4% | 24.3% | 22.7% | 7 |
Shares of respondents, combining "much" and "somewhat." The rest said "about the same." Yearly averages are simple averages of the monthly figures and are our calculation; 2013 starts in June and 2026 runs through September. The CSV has every month and all five answer choices for both questions.
Why it matters
This is how people feel about their finances, not a measure of income or wealth. But it tends to move with prices, jobs and interest rates, and it can signal stress before it shows up in loan data. People who feel worse off are more likely to fall behind on bills; our page on the expected chance of missing a debt payment uses another question from the same survey.
What you can do if your finances are tighter than a year ago
- Compare your last three months of spending with the same months a year ago to see which costs grew. Housing, insurance, food and debt payments are the usual places to look.
- Call lenders before you miss a payment. Many offer hardship programs, due-date changes or lower payments for a while.
- If you carry card balances, ask for a lower rate or look at a balance transfer or credit union loan, and pay attention to fees.
- Build a small cushion, even $25 a paycheck, to cover surprise bills without new debt.
- A nonprofit credit counselor can review your budget and debts for free or a low fee.
What these numbers are
The Survey of Consumer Expectations is a monthly, nationally representative internet survey of a rotating panel of about 1,300 household heads, weighted by the New York Fed. Monthly shares can move a few points from sampling alone, so single-month changes should be read with caution. This page is not a New York Fed product, and the New York Fed does not endorse it.
Source
Source: Survey of Consumer Expectations, © 2013-2026 Federal Reserve Bank of New York (FRBNY). The SCE data are available without charge at http://www.newyorkfed.org/microeconomics/sce and may be used subject to license terms posted there. FRBNY disclaims any responsibility or legal liability for this analysis and interpretation of Survey of Consumer Expectations data.
Chart data workbook (FRBNY-SCE-Data.xlsx), sheet "Household financial situation", downloaded October 20, 2026; September 2026 survey released October 7, 2026. The combined shares and yearly averages are our calculation. Our table is available under CC BY 4.0, which does not cover the New York Fed's rights in its data. Credit "My Credit Guide (mycreditguide.org)".
Steven Reynolds, "Are Households Better or Worse Off? Consumer Survey, 2013-2026," My Credit Guide, October 20, 2026, https://mycreditguide.org/data/household-financial-situation/.