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

(Image credit: iStock/Fascinadora)

last updated 29 August 2018

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.

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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.

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