Federal Reserve survey finds share of families behind on loans rose

The short version

• The Federal Reserve's triennial Survey of Consumer Finances shows U.S. families' ability to stay current on debts worsened over three years.[CNBC]
• Nearly 20% of families were behind on loan payments at the end of 2025, up from about 12% in the prior survey.[CNBC]
• Families two or more months behind rose to over 8% from 5% in 2022, and the share with payment-to-income ratios above 40% reached 8.6%, the highest since 2013.[CNBC]
• The report covers only through 2025, and a New York Fed survey shows households expect their finances to be weaker in the year ahead.[CNBC]

Key facts

• The Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances found families' ability to stay current on debts worsened over the past three years, to levels not seen since the aftermath of the global financial crisis.[CNBC]
• Families were more likely to be behind on financial obligations than at any point since the 2010 survey, according to the Fed.[CNBC]
• The share of families behind on loan payments at the end of 2025 rose from about 12% in the prior survey to nearly 20%.[CNBC]
• Families two or more months behind on loan payments rose to more than 8% from 5% in 2022.[CNBC]
• Families with payment-to-income ratios above 40% rose to 8.6% from 6.5% in 2022, the highest level since 2013.[CNBC]
• Wealth disparities narrowed somewhat, while the ability to meet debt payments deteriorated significantly, according to the Fed's survey.[CNBC]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.

• Americans' debt problems are flashing a warning not seen since the Great RecessionCNBC