A broad Federal Reserve survey of 13,099 adults taken last October shows a largely steady picture of personal finances alongside persistent worries about prices and growing unease about employment.
The poll, which captured sentiment as President Donald Trump was finishing his first year back in the White House, found that 73% of respondents said they were "doing okay financially" or "living comfortably" last year - a share that was unchanged from 2024.
Perceptions of the national economy were considerably weaker. Just 26% of those surveyed rated the national economy as "good" or "excellent." That compares with 29% in 2024, when Trump was campaigning for office, and is down from 50% in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Inflation remains the primary concern. More than nine out of 10 respondents identified inflation as a top worry. While the share of people calling price increases a major concern eased slightly, a large portion continued to report behavioral changes in response to higher prices. The share saying they had changed their behavior because of price increases slipped to 77% from 79%.
Job market anxieties rose. Views of the labor market deteriorated: 42% of respondents said that finding or holding a job was either a minor or major concern, up from 37% in 2024. The survey result aligns with contemporaneous labor data showing the pace of hiring slowed in 2025 and that people who lost work were more likely to remain unemployed for longer.
Certain demographic groups reported declines in how they assessed their own financial well-being. The survey identified low-income households, young people and Black adults as groups that saw drops in their evaluations of financial health compared with the prior period.
Taken together, the results depict a population that, while largely stable in personal financial self-assessment, remains sensitive to price pressures and is increasingly uneasy about job prospects. The survey provides a snapshot of public sentiment at a specific point in time and reflects how households were thinking about finances, inflation and employment last October.