Despite a growing economy and low unemployment, about 40% of American families struggled to meet at least one of their basic needs last year, including paying for food, health care, housing or utilities.
That’s according to an Urban Institute survey of nearly 7,600 adults that found that the difficulties were most prevalent among adults with lower incomes or health issues. But it also revealed that people from all walks of life were running into similar hardships.
The findings issued this morning by the nonprofit research organization highlight the financial strains experienced by many Americans in an otherwise strong economy.
The average unemployment rate for 2017 was 4.4%, a low that followed years of decline.
But having a job doesn’t ensure that people will be able to meet basic needs, says Michael Karpman, one of the study’s authors. Among the households with at least one working adult, more than 30% reported hardship.
Food insecurity was the most common challenge: More than 23% of households struggled to feed their family at some point during the year. That was followed by problems paying a family medical bill, reported by about 18%. A similar percentage didn’t seek care for a medical need because of the cost.
Additionally, roughly 13% of families missed a utility bill payment at some point during the year. And 10% of families either didn’t pay the full amount of their rent or mortgage, or they paid it late.
