Household Budget Index

The Primerica Household Budget Index™ shows middle-income Americans (earning $30k-$130k) faced a 3.2% increase in essential living costs over the past year, slightly outpacing the general CPI. This rise in food, utilities, gas, insurance, and healthcare strains household budgets, impacting savings and financial planning. The index, specifically tailored for this demographic, highlights their disproportionate financial pressures.

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.