Households nearing six-figure incomes, known for responsible budgeting and reliable bill payments, are facing a growing sense of financial uncertainty. 

New survey data points to a growing disconnect between income and financial confidence, with near-six-figure households reporting some of the steepest declines in perceived stability. 

The AARP Financial Security Trends Survey, released in June 2026, tracks how more than 6,700 adults aged 30 and older rate their finances. 

The top-line number moved only slightly, with 42% of respondents reporting they feel financially insecure, up from 39% in 2022.

That modest national average, however, conceals a much sharper story unfolding inside middle-income and upper-income households across the country.

Financial insecurity nearly doubles for near-six-figure earners

Among households earning $75,000 to $99,000, the share of people who feel financially insecure surged from 20% to 36% between 2022 and 2026. 

That is a near-doubling of financial anxiety in a group that most people would describe as solidly middle class.

Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst at Bankrate, pointed to the persistence of elevated prices as a key driver behind deteriorating financial confidence, even among households with steady incomes.

Inflation, and the resulting affordability challenges, clearly rules the roost when it comes to hampering the ability to save more money. This helps to explain why people are relatively downbeat on the outlook for their personal finances

Earners above $100,000 also reported rising unease, with insecurity in that group climbing from 14% to 21% over the same four-year period.

Among adults earning less than $40,000, 67% reported feeling insecure, a rate that remains far higher but rose only 3 percentage points since 2022. 

That stability at the bottom of the income scale makes the rapid erosion of confidence among higher earners all the more striking, the survey found.

“People who look financially comfortable on paper are now feeling uneasy about their finances,” Rich Johnson, vice president of financial security at the AARP Public Policy Institute, told AARP.

“A big part of that is driven by concerns about how inflation is squeezing family budgets across the board, not just among lower-income people.”

Healthcare expenses hit a record high in AARP’s tracking

One force behind the shift is the rising cost of medical care, which is eroding purchasing power even for households with employer-sponsored insurance.

A record 49% of adults aged 30 and older said their monthly healthcare spending is higher than it was 12 months ago, AARP reported. 

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That figure stood at 42% when the survey launched in 2022, representing a 7-percentage-point jump in four years of national tracking, the AARP survey found.

Out-of-pocket healthcare spending for someone on Medicare now exceeds $6,300 a year, compounding alongside rising food and energy prices, Johnson reported.

Overall, 72% of adults aged 30 and older reported that prices are outpacing their income, a concern that persists despite national-level wage growth. 

Average weekly earnings for private-sector workers rose 17% from January 2022 to January 2026, while the Consumer Price Index climbed 16% over the same period. 

Credit card debt separates secure households from struggling ones

Credit card balances represent one of the clearest dividing lines between people who feel financially secure and those who do not, the survey showed.

Among respondents who reported feeling insecure, 56% carry a credit card balance from month to month, compared with 29% of those who feel secure. 

The balances are growing larger, too, with 34% of insecure adults who carry credit card debt owing more than $10,000 in 2026, up from 25% in 2022. 

Healthcare costs are fueling part of that increase, with 54% of insecure adults naming medical expenses as a contributor to their card debt in 2026. 

That share stood at 47% when the survey began tracking this question four years earlier, marking a notable and steady climb.

“The volatile stock market and questions about job stability have made it harder for many families to feel secure, even if they have good incomes,” Johnson said.

Emergency savings remain the clearest marker of financial health

Whether a household has money set aside for unexpected costs may be the single strongest predictor of financial confidence in the AARP data.

Among adults who feel financially secure, 84% have some form of emergency savings, compared with just 33% of those who feel insecure.

Financial shocks reinforce the divide, with 59% of insecure respondents experiencing a large surprise bill, sudden income drop, or fraud loss in the past year. 

Among secure respondents, 35% reported a similar shock, with vehicle expenses, housing costs, and medical bills ranking as the most common triggers.

Older adults nearing retirement face steeper financial consequences

The data carry particular weight for Americans between 50 and 64, because a financial setback at that stage leaves far less time to recover.

“Families without savings are often one job layoff, major repair bill or serious illness from falling deep into debt,” Johnson warned. 

“That kind of financial shock can be especially debilitating for people in their 50s and early 60s, because it leaves them less able to put money away for their retirement,” he stated

AARP’s chief advocacy and engagement officer, Nancy LeaMond, stated that 6 in 10 adults in that same age group worry about whether their money will last through retirement. 

She also noted that 42% of adults 50 and older who aren’t yet retired have less than $50,000 saved: “Considering that retirement today can last 20 or even 30 years, these numbers just don’t add up,” LeaMond said.

Related: AARP reveals 56 million workers missing out on a 401(k)