More than a fourth of Americans can’t pay all their monthly bills: study

More than one in four Americans cannot pay all of their monthly bills, according to a concerning new survey.

A troubling 27% of adults surveyed by Pew Research Center admitted they can only pay some of their monthly dues or make partial payments — a slight uptick from the share who said the same during COVID in 2020.

Twenty-four percent of Americans surveyed in April 2020 said they couldn’t make all their monthly bills, according to the pollsters.

Meanwhile, the majority of Americans (60%) said they don’t currently have enough income to lead the kind of life they want — while 53% said they don’t have emergency funds to cover expenses for three months.

The survey was conducted on more than 5,000 adults on Aug. 24-30, 2026. 

A woman looks at household bills. fizkes – stock.adobe.com

Around a third (32%) said they worry nearly every day about the cost of healthcare and the amount of debt they have.

“We asked Americans a series of questions about their financial stability and security, their ability to afford basic necessities, and their general outlook on their personal financial situation,” Pew said in the report.

“The survey, conducted in August, finds that many Americans are not on solid financial footing.”

Overall, roughly 44% said they have had trouble paying for at least one basic necessity, including rent, mortgage and transportation, in the past year.

More than a fourth of Americans can’t pay all their monthly bills, according to a study. PEW RESEARCH CENTER

And forget fun expenses.

A total of 70% of US adults said they had to cut back on spending money on extras — including eating out, streaming services and other entertainment — in the past year, according to the survey.

Roughly 54% also said they have not been able to save money for the future.

For the study, researchers asked Americans questions about rent and mortgages, whether they’ve been laid off recently, and if they’ve needed to take out a loan, and more.