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Primerica Household Budget Index™ Data: Middle-Income Purchasing Power Held Steady in June
DULUTH, Ga., July 30, 2025--The latest Primerica Household Budget Index™ (HBI™) data, a monthly economic metric that examines how inflation and wage trends impact the ability of middle-income families to afford life’s everyday necessities, was 100.0% in June, a 0.1% decrease from a month ago and up 1.3% from a year ago. Purchasing power was relatively unchanged in June.
About this update from Primerica, Inc.
DULUTH, Ga., July 30, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The latest Primerica Household Budget Index™ (HBI™) data, a monthly economic metric that examines how inflation and wage trends impact the ability of middle-income families to afford life’s everyday necessities, was 100.0% in June, a 0.1% decrease from a month ago and up 1.3% from a year ago. Purchasing power was relatively unchanged in June. The Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures inflation for a comprehensive basket of goods for all U.S. households, came in at 2.7% in June, its highest reading since January. Adjusting the CPI to narrow the impact of inflation to focus specifically on middle-income households and necessity items as used in the HBI™ metric (food, utilities, gas, auto insurance, and health care) increases it to an estimated 3.1%. For more information on the Primerica Household Budget Index™ metric, visit www.householdbudgetindex.com. About the Primerica Household Budget Index™ (HBI™) Data The Primerica Household Budget Index™ (HBI™) data is constructed monthly on behalf of Primerica by its chief economic consultant Amy Crews Cutts, PhD, CBE®. The index measures the purchasing power of middle-income families with household incomes from $30,000 to $130,000 and is developed using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Bureau of Census, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. The index looks at the cost of necessities including food, gas, auto insurance, utilities, and health care and earned income to track differences in inflation and wage growth. Primerica’s HBI™ metric was created to fill an information void around the economy’s impact on middle-income families. Metrics like the Consumer Price Index (CPI) measure overall inflation but don’t offer a clear picture of how it impacts middle-income Americans. Middle-income households play a key role in driving consumer spending and the overall economy as they account for over 55% of the U.S. population. The purchasing power of middle-income families are a key barometer of real-time economic trends. Understanding middle-income households’ purchasing power is important because it shows whether they are gaining financial ground or falling behind. The HBI™ data uses January 2019 as its baseline, with the value set to 100% at that point in time. Periodically, prior HBI™ values may be modified due to revisions in the CPI series ...