"55% of Americans say their financial situation is getting worse—a rise from 53% in 2024."
Financial Outlook and Key Concerns
According to Gallup’s annual Economy and Personal Finance survey, 55% of Americans said their financial situation is getting worse. This is an increase from 53% in 2024 and 47% in 2023. The survey also found that 46% of respondents rated their current financial situation as excellent or good, a figure consistent with readings since 2022.
When asked to name the most important financial problem facing their family, 31% cited the high cost of living. While this is below a 41% peak recorded in 2024, it remains among the highest percentages in the 20-year trend. Energy costs were mentioned by 13% of respondents—an increase of 10 percentage points from the previous year and the highest level since 2008. Housing costs were also cited by 13%, tying with energy as the second-biggest concern. Healthcare ranked fourth at 8%, a figure that has been consistent since 2020.
Prevalence of Financial Worries
The survey reported that majorities of Americans are worried about specific financial challenges:
- Retirement: 62% are concerned about not having enough money for retirement.
- Medical Costs: 60% are concerned about being unable to cover medical costs from a serious accident or illness.
- Investments and Standard of Living: 54% are worried about their investment returns, and another 54% about maintaining their standard of living.
Other notable concerns include routine healthcare costs (48%), paying monthly bills (41%), affording college (40%), housing costs (35%), and minimum credit card payments (28%).
Healthcare Affordability Trends
The West Health-Gallup Affordability Index reports that 49% of US adults were considered "cost secure" in 2025, meaning they reported having access to quality, affordable care and could afford recent medical expenses. This is a decrease from 56% in 2021 and a peak of 61% in 2022.
Three-quarters of adults described healthcare costs as a major or minor financial burden for their household.
Approximately half of respondents expressed extreme concern or concern that their household would be unable to pay for needed healthcare services in 2026, up from 42% in 2022. Over half of respondents stated that healthcare costs contribute a lot or some stress to their daily lives.
Demographic Variations in Healthcare Security
The data shows sharp differences in healthcare cost security across demographic groups:
- Adults under 30: 33% were considered cost secure in 2025, down from 46% in 2021.
- Women: 42% were cost secure in 2025, down from 67% in 2022.
- Men: 57% were cost secure in 2025, down from 67% in 2022.
- Older adults (Medicare beneficiaries): 61% were cost secure in 2025, down from 73% in 2021.
Patient Experiences with Cost
The survey on patient experiences recorded that 2 in 10 adults reported being unable to pay for prescribed medicine in the prior three months. Additionally, 3 in 10 adults reported that they or a household member did not seek treatment for a health problem due to cost.
Survey Methodologies
Data for the financial concerns survey was collected via Gallup’s annual Economy and Personal Finance survey, conducted from April 1-15, 2025.
Data for the affordability index and patient experiences was collected via the West Health-Gallup poll, which surveyed 5,660 adults from October 27 to December 22, 2025, using Gallup's probability-based panel. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 2.1 percentage points.