Measuring Financial Wellness Through Americans’ Rising Debt Burden

For many, financial wellness remains under pressure despite a resilient labor market and moderating inflation. Rising credit-card usage and increasing consumer bankruptcy filings point to a growing disconnect between income growth and household financial stability.

The data raise questions for plan sponsors, policymakers and financial wellness advocates about whether traditional measures of economic health are masking deeper vulnerabilities in Americans’ day-to-day financial lives.

Data collected by the Urban Institute and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, presented below, offer a glimpse into the ways in which Americans are experiencing financial stress. 

Bankruptcy Cases Filed by State