By Casey Harper | The Center Square
(The Center Square) – Americans are feeling the pain of high prices, according to new federal data.
The Federal Reserve Board on Tuesday released its Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking, which showed Americans report that they are doing worse than before the COVID-19 pandemic and they cite inflation as a top concern.
“Despite the moderating pace of inflation, many adults continued to indicate that higher prices were a challenge in managing their finances,” the Federal Reserve said.
The report found that 31% of Americans say they are doing worse off financially than they were 12 months ago, down from the high point of 35% last year, but still much higher than recent years, which ranged from 17-24% during the Trump administration.
“Sixty-five percent of adults said that changes in the prices they paid compared with the prior year had made their financial situation worse, including 19% who said price changes had made their financial situation much worse,” the report said. “In contrast, 4% of adults said that price changes compared with last year had made their financial situation better, while 31% said price changes had little to no effect on their financial situation.”
The data comes alongside recent figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics that show inflation continues to rise.
The latest Consumer Price Index and the Producer Price Index, two key markers of inflation, have remained elevated this year, often rising faster than expected.
Overall, prices have risen about 20% since President Joe Biden took office.
The federal reserve report shows that those higher prices are making an impact on the lives of everyday Americans.
Only 72% said they have emergency savings, the lowest level since 2016.