Financial Health Pulse® 2026 U.S. Trends Report: Stressors Mount and Vulnerability Returns
New Financial Health Pulse® data show a reversal in household financial health trends, with vulnerability rising amid mounting financial pressures.
Financial Health Pulse® 2025 U.S. Trends Report
Our 2025 report reveals a mixed picture: modest improvements in households’ financial health in the short term and deep disparities over the long term.
Financial Health Pulse® 2024 U.S. Trends Report
Some households were more acutely affected by the past year’s economic forces than others, depending on their debts and assets held.
Building an Intelligence Engine for Financial Health
The Financial Health Pulse—along with the FinHealth Score—are two proprietary tools that power everything we do at Financial Health Network. As our financial lives grow increasingly complex, our team is building upon these research and measurement capabilities to better understand how changing economic forces are shaping household financial health.
The Financial Health Pulse is the anchor for an intelligence engine that is built to answer questions that matter most to financial service institutions and key stakeholders, ranging from what’s driving outcomes to how different populations are faring in any given year to what scales in an ever-changing economy. Our Pulse insights equip leaders and decision-makers to act in alignment with what’s happening in the real world, helping more households build lasting economic stability.
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About the Data
Since 2018, the Financial Health Pulse has leveraged surveys fielded to the Understanding America Study (UAS) online panel administered by the Center for Economic and Social Research at the University of Southern California. Pulse data allow us to disaggregate trends in financial health by over two dozen socioeconomic and demographic characteristics.
Deeper Insights on Specific Topics
Pulse Points are research reports released multiple times a year as part of the Financial Health Pulse research initiative. They are designed to provide deeper insights into specific topics and populations.
Pulse Points: Financial Health Differences Among Entrepreneurs
More people across the U.S. are starting businesses than ever before. What is the relationship between entrepreneurship and financial health?
Pulse Points: Main Gig or Side Hustle? Nontraditional Work and Financial Health
More than 1 in 10 working adults holds a nontraditional job. How is this growing and diverse sector of the American economy faring financially?
Pulse Points: Disparities in Credit Scores and Length of Credit History
How is credit history related to race and ethnicity, and what steps can financial service providers take to address credit health inequities?
Timely and Relevant
In a rapidly evolving world, understanding the forces that shape financial well-being is crucial. Pulse Spotlights offer quick, critical insights into emerging topics like inflation, AI, and natural disasters.
Who Trusts Financial Institutions?
New Financial Health Pulse® data show that trust in financial institutions is uneven, with substantial racial and ethnic disparities across key dimensions of banking.
The Financial Health and Material Hardships of Rural America
Financial insecurity and healthcare shortages weigh heavily on rural communities, a new Financial Health Pulse® analysis finds.
What’s Holding Back Consumers From Using AI Financial Tools?
Financial institutions face multiple challenges driving customer adoption of AI financial tools.

Pulse Data Makes the Business Case for Financial Health
Discover how primary financial institutions can transform customer relationships by actively improving financial health. Drawing on exclusive data from the U.S. Financial Health Pulse®, the report reveals that customers who feel supported in their financial well-being are significantly more satisfied, loyal, and likely to expand their relationship with their bank or credit union. Ready to help your institution close the expectation gap and build sustainable customer loyalty?
Our Pulse Partners
The Financial Health Pulse® initiative is made possible through generous support of funders, partners, and advisors who share our commitment to improving financial health.
Thank You to these Leaders
Ray Boshara
Center for Social Development
Amelia Parnell
NASPA
John Scott
Pew Charitable Trusts
Steven Brown
Aspen Institute
Manita Rao
AARP
Kenneth White
University of Arizona
Quentin Brummet
NORC
Ramonia Rochester
NDI
Stephanie Rozelle Yates
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Mo Khalil
ANZ Banking Group Ltd.
Rachel Schneider
Canary
Tansel Yilmazer
Ohio State University
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