Household Finances
Household Finances is a data page on the Macro desk of Glassbox Auditing. How U.S. households are doing, nationally and state by state: income, wealth by group, debt and how much of it is 90+ days late, cost of living, minimum wages and what families spend on. Household spending is about two-thirds of the economy, so strain here reaches retailers, lenders and tax receipts.
Last updated: .
What is the latest reading?
Bottom 50% share of U.S. household wealth: 2.3% as of , -1.2 pts since Jul 1989. Source: Federal Reserve Distributional Financial Accounts.
What is on this page today?
- The top 1% of U.S. households held 32.5% of household wealth in Q2 2026 — 31.7% the quarter before · 22.8% in Q3 1989 (Federal Reserve Board, 29 Jun 2026)
- The next 9% of U.S. households held 36.4% of household wealth in Q2 2026 — 36.4% the quarter before · 38.0% in Q3 1989 (Federal Reserve Board, 29 Jun 2026)
- The next 40% of U.S. households held 28.8% of household wealth in Q2 2026 — 29.5% the quarter before · 35.7% in Q3 1989 (Federal Reserve Board, 29 Jun 2026)
- The bottom 50% of U.S. households held 2.3% of household wealth in Q2 2026 — 2.4% the quarter before · 3.5% in Q3 1989 (Federal Reserve Board, 29 Jun 2026)
- The top 1% held 53.5% of their assets in stocks and funds and 10.8% in real estate in Q2 2026 — Stocks and funds were 38.1% of their assets 10 years earlier · Corporate equities and mutual fund shares held directly, beside real estate, as the Fed's accounts split them (Federal Reserve Board (Distributional Financial Accounts), 29 Jun 2026)
- The bottom 90% held 10.7% of their assets in stocks and funds and 38.6% in real estate in Q2 2026 — Stocks and funds were 7.3% of their assets 10 years earlier · Corporate equities and mutual fund shares held directly, beside real estate, as the Fed's accounts split them (Federal Reserve Board (Distributional Financial Accounts), 29 Jun 2026)
- Silent and earlier held 10.7% of all U.S. household net worth in Q2 2026, 13.8 points less than 10 years earlier — 24.5% in Q2 2016 · Share of the net worth of all households; a generation's share also moves as its members age (Federal Reserve Board (Distributional Financial Accounts), 29 Jun 2026)
- Baby Boomers held 52.5% of all U.S. household net worth in Q2 2026, 4.9 points less than 10 years earlier — 57.4% in Q2 2016 · Share of the net worth of all households; a generation's share also moves as its members age (Federal Reserve Board (Distributional Financial Accounts), 29 Jun 2026)
- Gen X held 25.7% of all U.S. household net worth in Q2 2026, 10.1 points more than 10 years earlier — 15.6% in Q2 2016 · Share of the net worth of all households; a generation's share also moves as its members age (Federal Reserve Board (Distributional Financial Accounts), 29 Jun 2026)
- Millennials held 11.2% of all U.S. household net worth in Q2 2026, 8.7 points more than 10 years earlier — 2.5% in Q2 2016 · Share of the net worth of all households; a generation's share also moves as its members age (Federal Reserve Board (Distributional Financial Accounts), 29 Jun 2026)
- Over the four quarters to 2026Q2, 2.57% of balances that were current or up to 60 days late became 90+ days late, below the crisis-era high of 7.93% — 95.3% of balances are current · Balances $18.77 trillion · The Bank's four-quarter sum of the rates at which balances that were current or up to 60 days late became 90+ days late (Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Household Debt and Credit Report, 29 Jun 2026)
- District of Columbia has the highest minimum wage: $18.40 an hour on 1 January 2026 — 31 of the 51 (50 states and D.C.) pay more than the federal $7.25 · $17.50 a year earlier (Dept. of Labor, 31 Dec 2025)
- Median household income: $84,780 in 2025, +3.9% on 2024 — United States · The middle household's income: less skewed by the rich than the average. (Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 30 Dec 2025)
- Household debt per person: $63,200 in 2025, +2.5% on 2024 — United States · All consumer debt per adult with a credit report, mortgages included. (New York Fed, 30 Dec 2025)
- Credit-card balances 90+ days late: 12.4% in 2025, +1.1 pts on 2024 — United States · Share of card debt seriously delinquent: the first place household stress shows. (New York Fed, 30 Dec 2025)
- District of Columbia has the highest personal income per person: $119,772 in 2025 — U.S. $77,028 · $115,442 in 2024 · the five highest of 51 (50 states and D.C.) (BEA, 30 Dec 2025)
- Leisure spending as a share of disposable income: 15.0% in 2025, +0.1 pts on 2024 — United States · How much of after-tax income goes to recreation, eating out and travel stays. (BEA, 30 Dec 2025)
Where does the data come from?
Items on this page come from Federal Reserve Board; Federal Reserve Board (Distributional Financial Accounts); Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Household Debt and Credit Report; Dept. of Labor; Census Bureau (American Community Survey); New York Fed; BEA. Each item links to its own source. All sources, how items are checked.
What does this page lead to?
- Business Activity (Macro): Disposable income is what funds consumer spending, so retail and food-service sales tend to follow its growth and slow when real incomes stall. (moves the same way; 1-3 months; economy scale) Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (NIPA).
- Credit & Housing (Macro): When a larger share of card and auto debt is 90+ days late, banks tend to tighten lending standards and grow consumer loans more slowly. (moves the other way; 1-2 quarters; economy scale) Source: New York Fed Consumer Credit Panel / Equifax, household debt by state.
- Company (Companies): Card and auto delinquency feeds card issuers' and auto lenders' loan-loss provisions, which come straight out of their earnings. (moves the other way; the next quarterly report; company scale) Source: New York Fed Consumer Credit Panel / Equifax, household debt by state.
- Labor Market (Macro): State minimum-wage increases raise pay at the bottom of the scale, which feeds average hourly earnings in the jobs report, most visibly in restaurants and retail. (moves the same way; at each 1 January step; economy scale) Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division: state and federal minimum wages (via FRED STTMINWG<state>, FEDMINNFRWG).
- US Map (Domestic Intelligence): State income, cost of living and household debt are the household layer of the state map; states where incomes trail costs show it in both places. (moves the same way; same year; economy scale) Source: BEA GDP by state and industry (SAGDP).
- Budget & Spending (Macro): Personal income is the base for individual income taxes, the largest source of federal receipts, so faster income growth tends to raise collections. (moves the same way; within the tax year; economy scale) Source: U.S. Treasury, Monthly Treasury Statement.
What feeds this page?
- Valuation (Companies): Most stock is held by the top tenth of households, so higher share prices relative to earnings raise household net worth and, with a lag, spending (the wealth effect). (moves the same way; quarters; economy scale) Source: Federal Reserve Distributional Financial Accounts.
- Dividend Health (Companies): Dividends are part of personal income in the national accounts, so broad payout cuts reduce what retirees and savers receive. (moves the same way; quarters; economy scale) Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (NIPA).
- Job Listings (Companies): More openings per jobseeker tend to push wages up, which feeds household income in the national accounts. (moves the same way; months; economy scale) Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (NIPA).
- Insurance Coverage (Domestic Intelligence): Higher premiums and last-resort policies, which in California often need a second policy for theft and liability, raise homeowners' fixed costs and leave less for other spending. (moves the other way; at renewal; economy scale) Source: California FAIR Plan, key statistics (policies in force and exposure by county).
- Health Board (Domestic Intelligence): Jobs, ownership and health readings feed household income and debt, so a state whose board drags tends to show weaker household finances, such as higher delinquency in New York Fed data, a few quarters later. (moves the same way; 1-3 quarters; economy scale) Source: New York Fed Consumer Credit Panel / Equifax, household debt by state.
- Well-being (Domestic Intelligence): Uninsured people pay for care themselves or leave bills unpaid; medical bills are the most common debt in collections on credit reports (CFPB, 2022). (moves the other way; 1-2 years; economy scale) Source: Census Small Area Health Insurance Estimates.
- Lawmaking (Domestic Intelligence): State minimum-wage laws are among the bills states enact; about 30 states and DC set pay floors above the federal $7.25, raising incomes at the bottom of the scale. (either way, depending on the cause; months; economy scale) Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division: state and federal minimum wages (via FRED STTMINWG<state>, FEDMINNFRWG).
- Fuel & Charging (Domestic Intelligence): Gasoline and other energy goods are a fixed weekly cost for most households, so higher pump prices leave less for other spending, and lower-income households feel it most. (moves the other way; weeks; economy scale) Source: BEA personal consumption: gasoline and other energy goods; Census households, via FRED.
- Degrees & Colleges (Education): Most students borrow to finish a degree; student loans are about $1.6 trillion of household debt (New York Fed), and borrowers who leave without a degree default most often. (moves the same way; years; economy scale) Source: New York Fed Consumer Credit Panel / Equifax, household debt by state.
- Universities (Education): Tuition and net price set how much families borrow; the Scorecard reports each university's student debt and repayment. (moves the same way; years; economy scale) Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
- Debt & Interest (Macro): Treasury rates pass through to savings and money-fund yields and to card and auto loan rates, so higher rates raise interest income for savers and costs for borrowers. (either way, depending on the cause; weeks to months; economy scale) Source: FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis).
- Budget & Spending (Macro): Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other benefits are a large part of household income, so changes in those outlays reach household incomes and spending directly. (moves the same way; monthly; economy scale) Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (NIPA).
- Prices & Inflation (Macro): When prices rise faster than pay, real disposable income falls, which squeezes household budgets most in high-cost states and lower-income homes. (moves the other way; months; economy scale) Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (NIPA).
- Labor Market (Macro): Payroll growth and wage gains are the main source of household income, so a hiring slowdown shows up in incomes and, later, in late payments on debt. (moves the same way; 1-3 months; economy scale) Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Credit & Housing (Macro): Homes are the largest asset of most households below the top 10%, so rising home prices lift their net worth in the Fed's distributional accounts. (moves the same way; quarters; economy scale) Source: Federal Reserve Distributional Financial Accounts.
- Oil to Prices (Macro): Fuel is a hard-to-cut cost for most households, so a pump-price rise leaves less for other spending, most in rural and lower-income states where people drive more. (moves the other way; weeks; economy scale) Source: BEA personal consumption: gasoline and other energy goods; Census households, via FRED.
- SPY History (Markets): Stocks and funds are a large share of U.S. household wealth, most of it held by the top tenth, so a sustained S&P 500 rise lifts household net worth in the Fed's quarterly distributional accounts. (moves the same way; next quarterly release; economy scale) Source: Federal Reserve Distributional Financial Accounts.
- Retail vs Institutions (Markets): Retail's estimated net buying is household money moving into stocks, part of what the Fed's quarterly accounts record as households' direct equity holdings. (moves the same way; next quarterly release; economy scale) Source: Federal Reserve Distributional Financial Accounts.
- Market Data Access (Markets): Funded accounts at retail brokers count households holding stocks directly; the more there are, the more household wealth moves with the market. (moves the same way; quarters; economy scale) Source: Brokers' quarterly results releases on SEC EDGAR (Robinhood, Schwab, Interactive Brokers, Futu, Webull).
- Saving & Debt (Personal Finance): The national saving rate and card balances are the country-wide view of the household debt and late payments that the Household Finances page breaks down state by state. (moves the same way; same quarter; economy scale) Source: FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis).
- Overview (Travel): Airfares, hotels and other transport are part of consumer spending in the BEA accounts, so travel price rises take a larger share of household budgets when incomes do not keep up. (moves the same way; months; economy scale) Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (NIPA).
- Buses (Travel): Bus and transit fares are part of household transport spending in the BEA accounts, so fare rises take more of the budgets of households that rely on them. (moves the same way; months; economy scale) Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (NIPA).