Economic Indicator

Primerica’s Household Budget Index (HBI) for September 2025 reached 100.4%, a 0.2% monthly increase and 0.6% year-over-year rise, indicating sustained pressure on middle-income household budgets. While the general CPI increased by 3.0%, inflation for middle-income families, as reflected in the HBI, rose to 3.4%. Essential costs for this group increased 3.2% year-over-year. The ongoing government shutdown introduces uncertainty in future data collection. The HBI tracks necessities costs and earned income, using 2019 as the baseline.

Primerica’s Household Budget Index™ (HBI™) indicates increasing financial strain on middle-income families. The August reading shows a 0.1% monthly and 0.8% yearly rise, reflecting a 3.3% inflation rate tailored to middle-income spending, exceeding the overall CPI. Rising costs of essential goods (food, utilities, gasoline, insurance, healthcare) are outpacing wage growth, disproportionately affecting this demographic. Primerica emphasizes the HBI™’s importance for informed policymaking to address the economic challenges faced by over 55% of the U.S. population. The HBI™ utilizes data from various government sources.