The analysis, conducted by the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), found that lower-income households spent the equivalent of 95% of their pre-tax income on housing, transportation, groceries, health care and child care in 2024, up from 87.5% two decades earlier.

The data is based on the NWLC’s analysis of the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Surveys from 2004 to 2024. Lower-income households are defined as those in the bottom third of the income distribution, which, in 2024 meant households with a total income below $46,700.