2022 Financial Health Pulse: Financial Health Drops for First Time in Five Years of Measurement

Chicago, IL, Sept. 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Financial Health Network, the nation’s authority on financial health, with support from the Citi Foundation and Principal(R) Foundation, today unveiled the Financial Health Pulse: 2022 U.S. Trends Report. This fifth edition of the report finds financial health in America declined across many demographic and socioeconomic groups as spending outpaced income and savings accounts were depleted. 

For the first time since its launch in 2018, the report recorded a drop in the number of people considered Financially Healthy, falling three percentage points from last year to 31% in 2022. This change erased most financial health gains people experienced in 2020 and 2021, returning financial health in the U.S. close to pre-pandemic levels.  Nearly 8 million people moved from Financially Healthy to Coping, and 2 million more people are now Financially Vulnerable. Notably, there was a six percentage point drop in the number of people reporting they spend less than or equal to their income and a three percentage point drop in the number of individuals confident in meeting their long-term financial goals.

Key Findings Include:

• For the first time, the Pulse Trends Report recorded financial health declines across most income groups, with those making between $60,000 and $99,999 per year experiencing a 7 percentage point decline, followed by a 4 percentage point decline for those making over $100,000.
• Both men (-4 percentage points) and women (-3 percentage points) experienced somewhat equal declines in financial health. 
• Black individuals experienced a notable decline (-6 percentage points) in financial health, dropping to only 15% considered financially healthy in 2022. 
• A 3 percentage point decline in the number of people reporting enough emergency savings to cover at least three months of living expenses. 

“The data shows that while the combined pinch of historic inflation and market fluctuations has contributed to a rare drop in financial health for higher income households, lower income earners experienced employment-related improvements like wage increases or new jobs,” said Jennifer Tescher, president and CEO of Financial Health Network. “However, even with modest gains, lower income households are in a precarious position due to systemic financial barriers and wealth disparities. It is critical that employers, financial institutions, and policymakers prioritize financial health and collaborate for better outcomes in these uncertain times, especially as economic conditions could trigger future financial health declines.”

FinHealth by Demographics 

While this edition of the Pulse Trends report found large declines in financial health by traditionally secure groups like middle- and higher-income earners, non-LGBTQIA+ and people without disabilities, large and well-defined financial health gaps by gender, race and orientation persist (see complete data table in report):

• Despite a large drop in financial health from last year, those making between $60,000 and $99,999 are still much more likely to be financially healthy (36%) than those making less than $30,000 (10%) or between $30,000 and $59,999 (23%).
• Asian (44%) and White (35%) participants remain much more financially healthy than Black (15%) or Latinx (23%) individuals.
• Men (39%) continue to experience higher levels of financial health than women (23%).
• Non-LGBTQIA+ people (32%) are financially healthier than LGBTQIA+ (23%).
• People without disabilities (35%) still have higher financial health levels than those with disabilities (20%).

Inflation & Labor Market Indicators

Changes in employment circumstances and perceptions about rising prices had significant implications for people's financial lives. While people across all income levels reported being impacted by inflation, lower income earners reported the most stress caused by higher prices. Overall, high levels of stress about inflation were associated with a three-point drop in a person’s financial health score, with food, transportation and utilities reported to have at least a moderate impact on 30% or more of people’s standard of living. 

At the same time, there was an association between the tightening labor market and increases  in the financial health score of lower-income workers, specifically individuals making less than $30,000 per year who:

• Received a raise increased raised their financial health score by 7.9 points
• Increased their hours worked experienced an increase of 8.4 points
• Voluntarily switched jobs increased their score by 9.1 points 

Comparably, the data showed no relationship between employment changes and changes in financial health scores for higher-income groups. 

“The entire financial ecosystem has a role to play in improving Americans’ financial health,”  said Jo Christine Miles, Director, Principal Foundation and Principal Community Relations. “Government interventions are crucial for dampening economic blows, while products and services from financial service providers that are better designed to help consumers manage their day-to-day lives easily, securely, and affordably are crucial for building the resilience needed to ensure stability during economic volatility,” 

The Pulse Trends report scores survey respondents against eight indicators of financial health -- spending, bill payment, short-term and long-term savings, debt load, credit score, insurance coverage, and planning -- to assess whether they are “Financially Healthy,” “Financially Coping,” or “Financially Vulnerable.” In 2020, the Financial Health Pulse began to also utilize transactional data to gain an even deeper understanding of individuals’ financial health. As of August 2022, 1080 individuals had linked at least one financial account, totaling 6,628 accounts across 2,787 institutions. 

About the Financial Health Network

The Financial Health Network is the leading authority on financial health. We are a trusted resource for business leaders, policymakers and innovators united in a mission to improve the financial health of their customers, employees and communities. Through research, advisory services, measurement tools, and opportunities for cross-sector collaboration, we advance awareness, understanding and proven best practices in support of improved financial health for all. For more on the Financial Health Network, go to www.finhealthnetwork.org and follow us on Twitter at @FinHealthNet.

About the Financial Health Pulse 

The Financial Health Pulse is supported by the Citi Foundation, with additional funding from Principal Foundation. Since the inception of the initiative in 2018, the Financial Health Network has collaborated with USC’s Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research to field the study to their online panel, the Understanding America Study. Study participants who agree to share their transactional and account data use Plaid’s data connectivity services to authorize their data for analysis. 

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• Financial health declined for the first time since 2018

Naomi Adams Bata
Financial Health Network
312-881-5847
[email protected]

Stephanie Hicks
Cosmo PR for the Financial Health Network
805-295-9455
[email protected]