Almost half of Americans are struggling to pay for their basic needs


A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Being alive is cripplingly expensive.
Forty percent of Americans can't afford basic needs, a study by the Urban Institute, an economic think tank, found Tuesday. Adults are still struggling to pay for their groceries, medical bills, and housing expenses, the study, found, even as the unemployment rate under President Trump bottoms out at a mere 3.8 percent.
In anticipation of the government cutting welfare programs, the Urban Institute surveyed over 7,500 people to see whether they experienced certain types of material hardship in 2017, reports CBS News. The results showed that 39.4 percent of adults between 18 and 64 had trouble meeting their basic needs. Most surprisingly, researchers found that many middle-class families struggled with food insecurity and affording housing and utilities, rather than just the poorest Americans.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Low-income households still had the highest reported hardship numbers, but it's now clear that belonging to the middle class no longer prevents families from the struggles of day-to-day living.
The Urban Institute polled more than 7,500 American adults, inviting them to complete the survey via email. Responses were collected from Dec. 14, 2017 to Jan. 5, 2018. See more results here.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Amari Pollard is the social media editor at The Week and has written for Reader's Digest, Parents, and Inside Lacrosse. She studied journalism at Le Moyne College and can usually be found exploring Brooklyn, thrift shopping, or spending way too much money on brunch.
-
Exodus begins from Burning Man after desert mud trapped tens of thousands
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
'Margaritaville' singer Jimmy Buffett dies at 76
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
American Airlines suing website that offers tickets via price loopholes
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Federal agencies investigating near miss between Southwest jet and private plane
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Euphoria' star Angus Cloud dies at 25
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Pee-wee Herman actor Paul Reubens dies at 70
Speed Read
By Brendan Morrow Published
-
Trader Joe's recalls 4 products in a week amid reports of rocks and insects inside food
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Emmys to be postponed for first time since after 9/11 due to strikes
Speed Read
By Brendan Morrow Published