With many Americans struggling to build a financial safety net, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its 2026 Emergency Savings Survey, highlighting the biggest obstacles to saving for a rainy day and people’s expectations for their progress this year. You can find highlights from the survey below.
Key Findings:
- Safety Net Shrinking: 2 in 3 Americans say the affordability crisis has affected their emergency savings.
- Not Enough Saved to Save: Nearly 1 in 5 Americans say they couldn’t come up with $1,000 in cash within 24 hours to save a loved one’s life.
- Saving Struggles Persist: 64% of Americans say their income hinders their ability to save for emergencies, while 36% blame inflation and another 36% point to their debt.
- Low Yield Trap: Nearly 2 in 5 people earn less than 3% APY on their emergency fund.
- Budgeting for Emergencies: 59% of people say they include emergency savings in their monthly budget.
“An emergency fund is like a financial safety net, and many people are walking a tightrope trying to make ends meet in this unaffordable environment without anything to catch them if they slip or the winds of fortune change. That’s dangerous, stressful, and understandable to an extent. According to a new WalletHub survey, 64% of Americans don’t feel like they earn enough to properly save for emergencies, and 36% blame inflation. These are legitimate obstacles, not just excuses. But when nearly 1 in 5 people can’t come up with $1,000 in cash within 24 hours in order to save a loved one’s life, something has to change. Including emergency fund contributions in your budget is a start, and not enough of us currently do that. Earning more interest on your savings is important as well, and a lot of us are deficient in that regard, too.”
- John Kiernan, WalletHub Editor
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