Nearly 70% of US Consumers Faced Financial Strain at End of 2025, Report Finds

PYMNTS Intelligence tracks the financial health of US households, defining “living paycheck to paycheck” as spending nearly all income on everyday expenses and struggling to build savings. Persistently high housing costs and prices left nearly 70% of consumers under financial strain at the end of 2025, weakening households’ ability to absorb unexpected expenses.

The latest report found that roughly two-thirds of US consumers were living paycheck to paycheck at the end of 2025, with the share continuing to rise. Of those consumers, 40% were doing so out of financial necessity rather than by choice. Fewer than half of respondents said they could cover an unexpected $1,000 expense, underscoring the lack of household financial cushions.