# A Record 37% of Americans Have No Idea of Next Year's Income

> 37% of U.S. families can't predict next year's income, Fed survey shows.
- Title: A Record 37% of Americans Have No Idea of Next Year's Income
- Summary: 37% of U.S. families can't predict next year's income, Fed survey shows. A record 37% of American families lack clarity on next year's income, signaling…
- Keywords: federal reserve, family finances, income uncertainty, scf survey, next year income, financial stability, retirement planning, unemployment rate, consumer sentiment, Record, Americans, Idea
- Source: 24/7 Wall St. — https://247wallst.com/personal-finance/2026/10/17/a-record-37-of-americans-say-they-have-no-idea-what-next-years-income-will-be
- Author: Jake FitzGerald
- Published: 2026-10-18T01:26:06+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: federal reserve, family finances, income uncertainty, scf survey, next year income, financial stability, retirement planning, unemployment rate, consumer sentiment
## Record Income Uncertainty
A record 37% of families told the Federal Reserve they did not have a good idea of their next-year income.
## Fed Survey Details
The finding comes from the Fed’s report Changes in U.S. Family Finances from 2022 to 2025, built on the 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances.
## Survey Purpose
The survey measures forward-looking confidence about future income, not current income levels.
## Backward-Looking Measure
The survey also tracks whether a family’s income was unusually high or low compared to a normal year.
## 2025 vs. 2022 Results
In 2022, 28% of families reported unusual income; in 2025, it dropped to 23%.
## Uncertainty Trend
The share of families without a good idea of next-year income has risen in every survey since 2019.
## Economic Factors
Unemployment rose from 3.7% to 4.2%, and consumer prices increased at an average annual rate of 3.6% between 2022 and 2025.
## Retirement Impact
Families approaching retirement face budgeting, emergency savings, and withdrawal planning challenges due to income uncertainty.
## Savings Rate Drop
The personal saving rate fell from 6.9% in Q1 2024 to 4.4% in Q2 2026.
## Key takeaway

A record 37% of American families lack clarity on next year's income, signaling growing financial uncertainty.