October 09, 2026
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve Board on Friday officially released the comprehensive results of the 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances, a landmark periodic study that provides the public, researchers, and policymakers with deep, granular insights into the evolving economic condition of American families.
For release at 10:00 a.m. EDT, the data release offers a sweeping, highly representative statistical picture of what American households own, how and how much they borrow to finance their lives, and how they utilize banking and financial services. Conducted once every three years since 1989, the current iteration of the survey continues a decades-long tradition, providing the public with an extensive and invaluable time series of thorough information concerning household wealth, liabilities, and financial health.
Alongside the massive underlying microdata release, the Board also issued its vital summary report, formally titled Changes in U.S. Family Finances from 2022 to 2025. This accompanying report closely examines shifting trends across multiple critical financial dimensions, including household income, net worth, accumulated assets, outstanding debt burdens, and overall financial vulnerability among families spanning various demographic and economic strata across the United States.
The Survey of Consumer Finances serves as one of the premier diagnostic tools for economists and policymakers attempting to gauge the financial well-being of the broader public. Because economic shocks, shifting monetary policies, and broader macroeconomic trends affect different segments of the population in vastly different ways, the survey captures these nuances by tracking balance sheet changes at the individual family level. By examining assets such as primary residences, retirement accounts, stocks, and business equity alongside liabilities ranging from mortgage debt to credit card balances and student loans, the survey constructs a holistic ledger of American household wealth.
In addition to publishing the comprehensive summary report, the Federal Reserve Board has made a wide array of auxiliary analytical tools available to the public. An interactive chartbook designed to display changes in these complex financial characteristics over time has been published online, allowing analysts to visualize trends across previous survey cycles. Furthermore, extensive microdata and supplementary documentation examining a wide array of additional economic conditions of American families have been made publicly accessible to academic researchers, financial institutions, and government analysts.
The operational execution of this massive research undertaking is managed on behalf of the Federal Reserve Board by NORC, an independent social science research organization located at the University of Chicago. To ensure that the findings reflect the true diversity and economic reality of the nation, participants in the study are chosen at random using rigorous, scientific sampling procedures. The sample framework encompasses households drawn from 119 distinct geographic areas, carefully selected to represent both bustling metropolitan areas and quiet rural counties across all regions of the United States. This careful methodology ensures that the final dataset accurately mirrors the demographic and geographic distribution of American families.
The release of the 2025 survey data comes at a critical juncture for economic analysis, offering unprecedented visibility into how households have navigated the financial landscape over the preceding three years. As economists and policymakers review the data released on Friday, the findings will undoubtedly shape discussions surrounding consumer credit, housing markets, retirement security, and broader fiscal and monetary policy considerations for years to come.
For media inquiries regarding the 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances, interested parties may contact the Federal Reserve Board by email at [email protected] or by telephone at (202) 452-2955.
