Here's How Many Americans Are Living Paycheck To Paycheck

in #economy7 years ago (edited)

Is your family forced to count down the days each month until the next paycheck arrives?  If so, you're part of a staggering, and growing, majority of households in America, the richest country on the planet, that is forced to do the same.

According to a new poll conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder, over three-quarters of American households are forced to live paycheck to paycheck to make ends meet. 

More than three-quarters of workers (78 percent) are living paycheck-to-paycheck to make ends meet — up from 75 percent last year and a trait more common in women than men — 81 vs. 75 percent, according to new CareerBuilder research. Thirty-eight percent of employees said they sometimes live paycheck-to-paycheck, 17 percent said they usually do and 23 percent said they always do.

Having a higher salary doesn't necessarily mean money woes are behind you, with nearly one in 10 workers making $100,000 or more (9 percent) saying they usually or always live paycheck-to-paycheck and 59 percent in that income bracket in debt. Twenty-eight percent of workers making $50,000-$99,999 usually or always live paycheck to paycheck, 70 percent are in debt; and 51 percent of those making less than $50,000 usually or always live paycheck to paycheck to make ends meet, 73 percent are in debt.

Not surprisingly, the problem is even worse for minimum wage workers, 54% of whom say they have to work more than 1 job to cover their monthly expenditures. 

The majority of workers (81 percent) have worked a minimum wage job, and 71 percent of them were not able to make ends meet financially during that time — more than half (54 percent) had to work more than one job.

To alleviate some financial burden, 83 percent of employers that are hiring minimum wage workers this year (45 percent) will be raising the minimum wage at their organization.


Meanwhile, 57% of households say they can't afford to save even $100 a month.

Less than a third of workers (32 percent) stick to a clearly defined budget and a slight majority (56 percent) save $100 or less a month:
- None: 26 percent
- Less than $50: 15 percent
- $51 to $100: 16 percent
- $101 to $250: 14 percent
- $251 to $500: 11 percent
- $501 to $750: 5 percent
- $751 to $1,000: 4 percent
- More than $1,000: 10 percent

The scariest part of the poll, as CBS points out, is that the number of people living paycheck to paycheck is actually growing despite the fact that the Fed and our politicians continue to brag about near 'full employment.'

The survey highlights a troubling trend in household finances: More than eight years since the end of the recession, the share of Americans who are living on the financial edge is growing, said Mike Erwin, a spokesman for CareerBuilder. While some may want to blame Americans' spendthrift ways, Erwin pointed to two trends that continue to put financial stress on households: stagnant wages and the rising cost of everything from education to many consumer goods.

"Living paycheck to paycheck is the new way of life for U.S. workers," he said. "It's not just one salary range. It's pretty much across the board, and it's trending in the wrong direction."

A year ago, about 75 percent of U.S. workers said they were living from payday to payday, a number that has grown to 78 percent this year. The study, conducted by Harris Poll, surveyed nearly 2,400 hiring and human resource managers and 3,500 adult employees who worked full-time in May and June.

Meanwhile, employers seems to see straight through the 'full employment' charade because wage growth continues to be completely nonexistent...an outcome that would seem inconceivable in an under-supplied market.

Weak wage growth is partly to blame for the financial stress felt by many Americans. Median household income is still stuck in low gear, with the U.S. Census reporting only one year of income gains since 2007, the year the recession officially started.

The end result: American households are still earning 2.4 percent below what they brought home at their income peaks in 1999. At the same time, expenses for food, fuel, education, housing and other costs have risen.

"Jobs have come back, but we haven't seen salaries rebound," Erwin said. "Right now we are in a time when the cost of living is way outpacing the amount of money that people are getting through raises."

Of course, the real question is precisely how many of these households live in a McMansion that's 2x larger than what they need for their family and drive around in brand new BMWs that get replaced with new leases every 3 years? 

Source : http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-08-24/heres-how-many-americans-are-living-paycheck-paycheck-hint-its-lot

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in 2008 I had 27$/hour. Now (9 years later and several jobs later) 19$/hour. I live paycheck to paycheck and it sucks so bad. The car I own right now will probably be the last one. No pizza for me, no savings, nothing. I'm paying my taxes, my rent, my phone, my electricity, my gas, my food. After that, there's not much left. And I'm lucky, I never miss work, because I'm healthy. This pattern sucks and I'm thinking about welfare. They got assurances, and taxes payback checks. Everything is free for somebody on welfare.

My last paycheck: 32.93% was deducted for the alphabit soup on my pay.

It's ridiculous. I work for socialism, not myself.

Then with the 66% left (the money I can touch when I do a withdraw), I'm tax again 15% on everything. (Canadian loves taxes)

So i'm left with a 2% yearly income discretionary revenue. I drink it, to forget why I work for others.

Thanks for the informative comment! This, BTW, is why I can't afford to have a job. It's just too expensive.

Check out Digital Nomads, and maybe you'll be inspired to make a break for it.

I will crack a cold one in your honor!

@zer0hedge, thanks for the writeup.

The statistics are staggering. I am currently unemployed but I had some savings that has allowed my family and I to survive as I am looking for a job.

It saddens me that a lot people do not have that option and most of the rest of people live completely out of their means.

The recession is slowly turning into a great depression!

This phenomenon is not just peculiar to the USA, but to the rest of the Western World. Here in the UK, for example, supposedly one of the richest countries in the world, there are many millions of people living below the "official poverty line".

Of course, we are lucky in the West. In countries like India, what we call an "official poverty line" would seem like the height of luxury.

I read this earlier today, depressing to be sure. I'm in this boat living in NJ. I guess not being alone in this economy is something...

Leased cars, this absurd trend of 2-3 resort vacations a year, incredible costs for childcare and kids' activities, pay-later furniture, medical fees that are through the roof, everything being medicated, school debts, insane working hours resulting in eating out, this desire to look like celebrities, cost of sports and entertainment ... I can keep going and making a longass list of what's to blame.

The whole 'full employment' claim is utterly bullshit. If you check into it, you will find that those that have been unemployed longer than a year are no longer considered unemployed, but assumed to be not looking for work.

The real unemployment figure is somewhere upwards of 20%.

Edit: this is for USG data. I cannot speak for data from other jurisdictions.

I think at least in Canada it's also the majority of people living paycheck to paycheck as well, not looking good. On the bright side, many people still often do have some equity in their homes (but are using their monthly paychecks to make mortgage payments). So they are "cash poor" but still have some assets in the form of real estate.

Well, that was a depressing post! True, but sad...

lik your post because it's true