Almost 90 Million American Adults Struggle to Make Ends Meet, Census Says

  • About 38.5% of households face difficulty in survey period
  • More households turn to credit cards to cover spending needs
Photographer: Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images
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More Americans struggle to meet expenses now than in the immediate aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, when millions lost their means of employment, a Census Bureau survey showed.

About 38.5% of American adults — or 89.1 million people — faced difficulty in paying for usual home expenses between April 26 and May 8, according to the latest Household Pulse Survey. That’s up from 34.4% a year ago and 26.7% during the same period in 2021.