44% of Americans Say They Have Trouble Affording Basic Necessities, per Pew
Nearly half of American adults struggled to cover the basics over the past year, even as headline economic data looked resilient.
44% of US adults had trouble paying for at least one basic necessity in the past year, per the Pew Research Center.
Pew's figure covers adults who said at least one of the following happened to them in the past year: they had trouble paying for medical care, had problems paying for daily transportation costs, had problems paying their rent or mortgage, or got food from a food bank or food pantry.
The survey of US adults was conducted July 20 to August 9, 2026, and published October 14.
The Burden Is Not Evenly Spread
Lower-income adults were hit hardest, with 71% reporting trouble affording at least one basic necessity, compared with 39% of middle-income adults and 13% of upper-income adults, per Pew.
The strain is also generational. 60% of adults aged 18 to 29 reported at least one of the hardships, versus 50% of those aged 30 to 49, 39% of those aged 50 to 64, and 26% of those 65 and older.
By race and ethnicity, 65% of Black adults and 60% of Hispanic adults reported trouble, compared with 36% of White adults and 27% of Asian adults, per Pew. Women, at 47%, were more likely than men, at 40%, to report difficulty.
Education tracks income closely: 59% of adults with a high school education or less reported trouble, versus 47% of those with some college and 26% of those with a bachelor's degree or more.
Households Are Cutting Back Elsewhere
The squeeze is changing spending behavior well beyond the basics. 70% of adults said they had reduced spending on extras such as eating out and entertainment over the previous year, per Pew.
A majority, 60%, said they do not have enough income to live the life they want, and 53% said they do not have savings to cover three months of expenses.
27% of Americans said they cannot pay all of their monthly bills in full each month, a share Pew noted is higher than in April 2020, in the first months of the pandemic.
Pew's findings land with affordability already the dominant political issue heading into the November midterms, with cost of living leading voter concerns in multiple national polls and consumer sentiment near record lows.
What It Means for Markets
When 44% of adults are struggling with basics and 70% are cutting extras, consumer spending tilts toward value and essentials, a setup that favors discount and staple retailers over discretionary names.
Watch value retail through WMT and DG, staples exposure via XLP against discretionary exposure in XLY, and the broad consumer picture through SPY into holiday-season guidance.
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