Media: Context free news item of the day
Everything is awful – this survey is annual or even bi-annual item in the content mill news media about living “paycheck to paycheck” – and is mostly meaningless. The percentage varies by who does the survey and how they define “paycheck-to-paycheck” – and its usually around the same range plus or minus.
This set was compiled by me doing Internet searches of news outlets:
- 2024: 39% of Americans worry they can’t pay the bills | CNN Business
- 2023: 64% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck (cnbc.com)
- 2022: 40% of Americans Are Struggling to Pay Their Bills: Census | Money or 61% of Americans Who Paid a Bill Late Recently Couldn’t Afford It | LendingTree
- 2022: Canada Over half of Canadians $200 or less away from being unable to pay bills | Canada (dailyhive.com)
- 2021: 27%
- 2020: 34% Paycheck To Paycheck: Why Even Americans Who Earn $100,000 Struggle With Bills : NPR
- 2020: 69% Number of Americans Living Paycheck to Paycheck on Decline Despite Pandemic (prnewswire.com)
- 2018: 31 Percent Of U.S. Households Have Trouble Paying Energy Bills : NPR
- 2015: 47% PolitiFact | 47% say they lack ready cash to pay a surprise $400 bill or 25% Americans Not Paying Bills on Time — and Why That’s Bad – NFCC – National Foundation for Credit Counseling
- 2012: 33% 1 In 3 Americans Is Having A Hard Time Paying Medical Bills : Shots – Health News : NPR
- 2010: 37%
- 2007: 25% Seeing Red: The Growing Burden of Medical Bills and Debt Faced by U.S. Families (commonwealthfund.org)
These context free stories are an annual staple in the genre of “America is awful”.
Microsoft Copilot AI Survey of Living Paycheck-to-Paycheck
Roughly 55–70% of Americans report living paycheck to paycheck in most surveys since the early 2000s.
📊 Available Survey Results (Selected Years)
| Year | Source | % Reporting Living Paycheck to Paycheck | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | CareerBuilder survey | ~61% | First widely cited national survey during financial crisis. |
| 2010 | CareerBuilder survey | ~77% | Peak stress post‑recession. |
| 2013 | Bankrate survey | ~76% | Majority struggling with savings. |
| 2017 | CareerBuilder survey | ~78% | High proportion across income levels. |
| 2019 | Charles Schwab survey | ~59% | Pre‑pandemic baseline. |
| 2020 | Highland Solutions survey | ~63% | Pandemic disruptions. |
| 2021 | LendingClub survey | ~54% | Pandemic recovery, but still majority. |
| 2022 | LendingClub survey | ~64% | Inflation surge. |
| 2023 | LendingClub survey | ~61% | Slight decline. |
| 2024 | PNC Financial Wellness Report | ~63% | Worker survey. |
| 2025 | PNC Financial Wellness Report | ~67% | Most recent figure; Bank of America Institute estimates ~25% of households by stricter definition. |
⚖️ Why the Range Is Narrow
- Structural reality: A majority of Americans have limited savings buffers, so the proportion rarely falls below 55%.
- Survey framing: Definitions vary — some ask if people “struggle to cover expenses,” others define it as spending >95% of income on necessities.
- Economic cycles: Peaks occur during recessions (2008–2010, pandemic years), but even in growth periods, the figure remains high.