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How Is America Really Doing?

Exploring life in America through the U.S. Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey (HTOPS) data.

Real-time data from the U.S. Census Bureau on AI, food, housing, jobs, and more

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Data from U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey (HTOPS) · March 2026

Data updated: March 2026

Key Finding: AI adoption doesn't follow the income ladder — the $25K-$35K bracket uses AI more (29%) than those earning $150K+ (25%). The real story is more surprising than 'rich use AI more.'

24% use AI20% food insecure56% struggle with expenses8.9% behind on rent7.5% uninsured71% trust Census BureauOnly 18% trust Congress24% use AI20% food insecure56% struggle with expenses8.9% behind on rent7.5% uninsured71% trust Census BureauOnly 18% trust Congress
24.07%
Use AI
7.03%
Food Insecure
8.87%
Behind on Rent
7.45%
Uninsured
56.64%
Employed
17.9%
Trust Congress

Source: U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey (HTOPS) · March 2026

Explore the Data

A

AI Usage

1 in 4 Americans now use artificial intelligence

F

Food Security

Food sufficiency and insecurity across America

H

Housing

Rent and mortgage burden by region

E

Employment

Work status, types, and telework patterns

H

Health Insurance

Coverage types and uninsured rates

S

Spending

Expense difficulty and price change impact

T

Transportation

How Americans get around

W

Wellbeing Index

Composite wellbeing scores across all metrics

S

Squeeze Index

How financially squeezed is each region?

M

Metro vs Rural

The urban-rural divide in one survey

T

Trends

How America is changing over time

T

Trust

Do Americans trust their institutions?

How Are You Doing?

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Who Does America Trust? Congress Ranks Last

Census Bureau #1 at 70.7%, Military #2 at 65.1%, Congress dead last at 17.9%. Trust rankings from the 2026 Census HTOPS survey.

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Explore by State

Click any state to see detailed metrics. Colored by employment rate.

ALAKAZARCACOCTDEDCFLGAHIIDILINIAKSKYLAMEMDMAMIMNMSMOMTNENVNHNJNMNYNCNDOHOKORPARISCSDTNTXUTVTVAWAWVWIWY
Lower employment
Higher employment

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