3 Waves of Data · Spring 2025 → Spring 2026
Trend Tracker
How is America changing? We compare key indicators across three Census HTOPS waves to reveal trends in economic hardship, employment, and wellbeing.
Wave-over-Wave Comparison
How key metrics changed across 3 HTOPS survey waves
| Metric | Spring 2025 Wave 2502 · n=6,740 | Fall 2025 Wave 2504 · n=8,850 | Spring 2026 Wave 2506 · n=7,485 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
💼 Employed Adults who worked in past 7 days | 61.92% | 59.57% | 56.64% | ↓ 5.3pp |
🍽️ Food Insecure Households with sometimes/often not enough to eat | 6.69% | 7.1% | 7.03% | ↑ 0.3pp |
🏠 Behind on Rent Renters behind on payments | 9.15% | 8.69% | 8.87% | → Stable |
💸 Expense Difficulty Very/somewhat difficult to pay expenses | 20.44% | 19.31% | 19.78% | ↓ 0.7pp |
🏥 Uninsured Adults without health insurance | 7.2% | 7.3% | 7.45% | → Stable |
🏦 Mortgage Behind Homeowners behind on mortgage | 4.52% | 4.37% | 4.37% | → Stable |
💼Employed↓ 5.3pp
Spring 2025
61.92%
Fall 2025
59.57%
Spring 2026
56.64%
🍽️Food Insecure↑ 0.3pp
Spring 2025
6.69%
Fall 2025
7.1%
Spring 2026
7.03%
🏠Behind on Rent→ Stable
Spring 2025
9.15%
Fall 2025
8.69%
Spring 2026
8.87%
💸Expense Difficulty↓ 0.7pp
Spring 2025
20.44%
Fall 2025
19.31%
Spring 2026
19.78%
🏥Uninsured→ Stable
Spring 2025
7.2%
Fall 2025
7.3%
Spring 2026
7.45%
🏦Mortgage Behind→ Stable
Spring 2025
4.52%
Fall 2025
4.37%
Spring 2026
4.37%
Trend Overview
💼Employed
↓ 5.3ppSpring 2025
61.92%
Fall 2025
59.57%
Spring 2026
56.64%
🍽️Food Insecure
↑ 0.3ppSpring 2025
6.69%
Fall 2025
7.1%
Spring 2026
7.03%
🏠Behind on Rent
→ StableSpring 2025
9.15%
Fall 2025
8.69%
Spring 2026
8.87%
💸Expense Difficulty
↓ 0.7ppSpring 2025
20.44%
Fall 2025
19.31%
Spring 2026
19.78%
🏥Uninsured
→ StableSpring 2025
7.2%
Fall 2025
7.3%
Spring 2026
7.45%
🏦Mortgage Behind
→ StableSpring 2025
4.52%
Fall 2025
4.37%
Spring 2026
4.37%
Key Takeaways
📉 Employment Declining
Employment dropped from 61.92% to 56.64% over three waves — a 5.3 percentage point decline.
🏠 Rent Burden Fluctuating
Rent delinquency dipped to 8.69% in Fall 2025 but rebounded to 8.87% — slightly below the Spring 2025 rate.
💸 Expense Difficulty Improving
The share of Americans finding it difficult to pay expenses fell from 20.44% to 19.78%.
🤖 AI Data Now Available
Wave 2506 introduced AI usage tracking for the first time — 24.1% of Americans report using AI tools. Explore AI data →
Methodology Notes
- •All percentages are weighted using PWEIGHT from each wave's public use file.
- •AI usage questions were introduced in Wave 2506 and cannot be compared to prior waves.
- •Sample sizes vary by wave: Spring 2025 (n=6,740), Fall 2025 (n=8,850), Spring 2026 (n=7,485).
- •Small changes (<0.5pp) may not be statistically significant given sample sizes.