WASHINGTON, D.C. — The high cost of living continues to top Americans’ list of the most important financial problems facing their families. The 31% citing it in an open-ended question is below the 41% peak in 2024 but similar to a year ago and among the highest in Gallup’s more than 20-year trend.
Energy costs, which have risen notably this year, are mentioned by 13% of Americans, up 10 percentage points from last year and the highest since 2008 — tying housing costs as the second-biggest concern. Healthcare ranks fourth at 8%, consistent with readings since 2020.
These findings are from Gallup’s annual Economy and Personal Finance survey, conducted April 1-15.
Overall, affordability concerns dominate this year’s list, with combined mentions of inflation, energy, housing and healthcare costs — along with college expenses, transportation costs and childcare — far exceeding all other types of financial concerns.
While affordability issues are usually the top category of responses, this is the fifth consecutive year that they have led by a wide margin.
Supporting this finding, a recent Gallup Panel survey shows 55% of Americans reporting that recent price increases have been a hardship on their ability to maintain their standard of living, largely unchanged since 2023 after being lower in late 2021 and early 2022.
With cost issues continuing to be top of mind, Americans’ overall assessments of their current financial situation are similar to what they have been each year since 2022.
Less than half continue to rate their financial situation as “excellent” or “good” (currently 46%), and more than a third call it “only fair” (35%). Relatively few say their situation is “poor” (19%).
The recent dip in people’s confidence about their finances contrasts with 2016 through 2021, when half or more typically rated their finances positively. Today’s readings are more in line with 2008-2015, although not quite as negative as the ones during and immediately after the Great Recession from 2009 to 2011, when about four in 10 were positive.
Americans’ financial outlook in 2026 is also historically poor, with a record 55% now saying their financial situation is getting worse. While similar to last year’s 53%, this is up from 47% in 2024 and marks the fifth consecutive year more Americans say their finances are worsening rather than improving.
The only similar multiyear period when the larger share felt their financial situation was worsening was during the Great Recession.
Americans’ concerns about specific aspects of their finances are generally steady compared with last year but elevated compared with 2021.
Majorities worry about not having enough money for retirement (62%) and being unable to cover medical costs in the event of a serious accident or illness (60%). Slightly smaller majorities (54% each) worry about their investment returns and maintaining their standard of living.
Nearly half are concerned about routine healthcare costs (48%), while 41% worry about paying their normal monthly bills and 40% about affording college. Fewer worry about housing costs (35%) or making minimum credit card payments (28%).
While largely unchanged over the past year, these concerns had already increased between 2021 and 2025, spanning the rise of inflation levels, and they remain elevated today. The biggest increases since 2021 include an 11-point rise in worry about making minimum credit card payments and twin nine-point increases in concern about maintaining one’s standard of living and paying monthly bills. Concern about paying for a child’s education was flat between 2021 and 2025, with about a third worried, but has now increased to 40%.
Affordability continues to be the main financial challenge for U.S. households, with concerns about various costs far outpacing all other financial worries. Inflation rose steadily in 2021, from 1.4% in January to 7% by December, and peaked at 9.1% in June 2022. It has since retreated, registering under 3% for most months since early 2025. Yet it has not consistently returned to the sub–3% range typical of the decade before 2021 — something consumers may be anticipating. Combined with the lingering effects of sustained inflation during and after the pandemic, Americans' financial perceptions and outlook remain cautious.
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Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works. View complete question responses and trends (PDF download).
Results for Americans’ perceptions of their most important financial problem, the ratings and outlook for their finances, and their financial worries are based on telephone interviews conducted by Recon MR April 1-15, 2026, with a random sample of 1,001 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on the total sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects for weighting.
Each sample of national adults includes a minimum quota of 80% cellphone respondents and 20% landline respondents, with additional minimum quotas by time zone within region. Landline and cellular telephone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial methods.
Results for the effect recent price increases are having on Americans are based on self-administered web surveys conducted April 1-15, 2026, with a stratified random sample of 1,030 adults, aged 18 and older, who are members of the Gallup Panel. Gallup uses probability-based, random sampling methods to recruit its Panel members. For results based on the sample of U.S. adults, the margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
Gallup weighted the obtained web sample to make it representative of the U.S. adult population on gender, age, race, Hispanic ethnicity, education, political party affiliation and region. Demographic weighting targets were based on the most recent Current Population Survey figures for the aged 18 and older U.S. population. Party affiliation weighting targets are based on an average of the three most recent Gallup telephone polls.
In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
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Gallup https://news.gallup.com/poll/708905/affordability-dominates-americans-financial-worries.aspx
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Affordability Still Dominates Americans' Financial Worries – Gallup News
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