Goldman Sachs · Fortune Technology
More than a third of Americans earning over $500,000 say they’re living paycheck to paycheck, Goldman Sachs finds
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More than a third (36.6%) of respondents with household incomes above $500,000 say they primarily live paycheck to paycheck, according to Goldman Sachs Asset Management’s Retirement Survey and Insights Report 2026.
Key facts
- More than a third (36.6%) of respondents with household incomes above $500,000 say they primarily live paycheck to paycheck, according to Goldman Sachs Asset Management’s Retirement Survey
- Goldman grouped respondents into six income bands: under $50,000; $50,000 to $100,000; $100,000 to $200,000; $200,000 to $300,000; $300,000 to $500,000; and above $500,000
- The paycheck-to-paycheck share fell from 60.8% in the lowest band to 22.2% among households earning $100,000 to $200,000
- That’s nearly identical to the 47% of households earning under $50,000, and well above the 30% of households earning $200,000 to $300,000
Summary
Would you feel financially secure earning $500,000 a year? The report’s first key finding sums up the broader problem: Housing, health care, education, caregiving, and everyday costs have outpaced wage growth for decades, leaving households with less room to save. That won’t surprise most Americans. The typical household has more income to absorb those costs than it used to.