WSJ: 1 in 3 Americans don't save any money

Flickr CC By: 401 (K) 2013

WSJ: 1 in 3 Americans don't save any money
(Image credit: Flickr CC By: 401 (K) 2013)

Despite the economy slowly getting back on its feet, a new survey finds that 32 percent of all Americans aren't stashing their money away in a safe place. Only 68 percent of Americans are spending less than they earned and saving the difference, compared to 2010, when that number was 73 percent.

Compared to four years ago, fewer people also have emergency funds (that number dropped from 71 percent to 64 percent) and even fewer Americans are reducing their consumer debt, writes the Wall Street Journal. The divide between income brackets is stark, too: More than 80 percent of households raking in more than $50,000 spend less than what they earn, but only 69 percent of households that make less than $50,000 are saving money.

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Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.