Seen another way, US middle-class households spent an average of $8,000 more in 2022 than 2019.
This far exceeds increases in nominal wage growth, which is why so many households that aren't among top earners continue to struggle in this environment.
Suffice it to say, wage growth has been insufficient to support many household's cost of living.
This is one reason why we see increased borrowing, particularly within credit cards — where debt levels recently increased to a record $1T, with the average debtor carrying $5,600 at rates that in some cases are at record highs.
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