The Headline Index is composed of a Cost Resilience Index and a Resource Resilience Index. A score above 0 means that financial resilience is above historical norms.

The Cost Resilience Index measures the ability to afford modest luxuries without trading off the essentials and to afford life-stage appropriate care and education.

The Resource Resilience Index measures the ability to handle unexpected expenses and sustain a quality of life, and the ability to save and live well in retirement.

The index frames financial resilience as the interaction of cost pressures and financial resources and provides insight into the specific underlying factors that drive changes in middle-class financial resilience. Consumer survey findings (featured in the full index and analysis) offer a snapshot as to how middle-class households are feeling.

Middle-class resilience is above historical norms. The Headline Index was 14.8 in Q4 2025, up 7.5 points from Q3 but down 4.8 points from a year ago. This score is consistent with a steady improvement in middle-class financial resilience.

Above-average wage growth has helped the middle class manage affordability challenges, but an uptick in debt delinquency expectations suggests that finances are strained for some households.

Easing housing cost pressures have helped the Cost Resilience Index trend closer to its historical average, but elevated inflation for household and recreation expenses continues to pose an affordability challenge for the middle class.

The companion survey found that almost half of middle-class households are not very or not at all confident they will have enough savings to live comfortably throughout retirement.