Breathing room
Compare all years →Household finances by generation
Did earlier generations have more room to breathe?
Compare what same-age American households earned, owed, spent, and owned in 1989, 2007, and 2022.
Age 35 snapshot
Six views of the same household economy
2022 reference medians for households centered around age 35. Dollar amounts are in 2022 dollars; income and breathing room are monthly. See the survey windows and all 15 measures.
Income after all personal taxes
Compare all years →Real net worth
Compare all years →Liquid accounts
Compare all years →Housing spending share
Compare all years →Debt payment burden
Compare all years →See the core measures, definitions, and sources → · Broader debt, shortfall rates and consumption → · Homebuying costs →
Income & spending
Why a raise does not always create more breathing room
Trace a raise from gross pay to take-home money, then compare the costs that changed before deciding where the increase went.
Practical money guides
All articles →
Your salary is not your spending money: read your paycheck
Read gross pay, deductions, net pay, and pay frequency so your budget matches the money you actually receive.
Why your fixed-rate mortgage bill can still go up
Separate principal and interest from taxes, insurance, escrow shortages, and other charges before assuming the lender changed your fixed rate.
Why falling inflation does not make your groceries cheaper
Understand the difference between slower price increases and falling prices, then use your own grocery receipts to find where the budget changed.
Why buying a home can feel harder than paying for one
The hurdle is often several costs arriving together: closing cash, moving, a reserve, and a new monthly budget. Separate them before deciding you cannot buy.