September 2026
PYMNTS Data Dives

No Summer Break: How Everyday Bills Push Families to the Edge

Summer is supposed to feel like a break. Instead, groceries, utilities and gas keep climbing, and those costs are pushing more households into paycheck-to-paycheck living. This report looks at what's driving the summer squeeze and shows why the bills that pile up in July and August don't disappear when the season ends.

Header image for the September 2026 PYMNTS Intelligence Paycheck-to-Paycheck Data Dive. PYMNTS Intelligence finds that summer spending has pushed more households into paycheck-to-paycheck living this year.

Get Unlimited Access
Complete the form below for free, unlimited access to all our Data Studies, Trackers, and PYMNTS Intelligence reports.

Thank you for registering. Please confirm your email to view all our Trackers.

    Subscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today.

    By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.

    Summer spending pressure isn’t primarily coming from vacations, camps or other seasonal extras. Higher costs for groceries, utilities and transportation are straining household budgets, pushing some consumers into paycheck-to-paycheck living and leaving many with bills that will follow them into fall.

    Summer Spending Pushes Households Into Paycheck-to-Paycheck Status

    Summer Spending Tips Households

    14% of consumers who had been keeping up before summer say the season pushed them into living paycheck to paycheck.

    One in seven lost their financial cushion.

    Necessities Drive Pressure

    79% of consumers say at least one necessary expense is putting pressure on their summer budget.

    Unavoidable bills outweigh seasonal extras.

    Childcare Adds Strain

    49% of parents need additional childcare during the summer that they don’t need during the school year.

    Families pay with money or lost work.

    Bills Outlast Summer

    58% of consumers expect to keep paying summer expenses after the season ends.

    Summer spending carries over into fall balances.

    Squeeze Keeps Returning

    28% of consumers say summer spending has strained their finances in most or every one of the past five years.

    The pressure follows a predictable cycle.

    Methodology

    “No Summer Break: How Everyday Bills Push Families to the Edge” is based on the August 2026 edition of the PYMNTS Intelligence Paycheck-to-Paycheck Report. Data is derived from a PYMNTS Intelligence survey of 2,881 U.S. adults from July 1-9, 2026. Responses were weighted to reflect the U.S. adult population by age, gender, education and income. The findings reflect consumers’ self-reported financial circumstances and behavior.

    About

    PYMNTS INTELLIGENCE

    PYMNTS Intelligence is a leading global data and analytics platform that uses proprietary data and methods to provide actionable insights on what’s now and what’s next in payments, commerce and the digital economy. Its team of data scientists includes leading economists, econometricians, survey experts, financial analysts and marketing scientists with deep experience in the application of data to the issues that define the future of the digital transformation of the global economy. This multilingual team has conducted original data collection and analysis in more than three dozen global markets for some of the world’s leading publicly traded and privately held firms.

    We are interested in your feedback on this report. If you have questions or comments, or if you would like to subscribe to this report, please email us at feedback@pymnts.com.

    Disclaimer

    PYMNTS Data Dives may be updated periodically. While reasonable efforts are made to keep the content accurate and up to date, PYMNTS MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, REGARDING THE CORRECTNESS, ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, ADEQUACY, OR RELIABILITY OF OR THE USE OF OR RESULTS THAT MAY BE GENERATED FROM THE USE OF THE INFORMATION OR THAT THE CONTENT WILL SATISFY YOUR REQUIREMENTS OR EXPECTATIONS. THE CONTENT IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND ON AN “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS. YOU EXPRESSLY AGREE THAT YOUR USE OF THE CONTENT IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. PYMNTS SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY FOR ANY INTERRUPTIONS IN THE CONTENT THAT IS PROVIDED AND DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES WITH REGARD TO THE CONTENT, INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NONINFRINGEMENT AND TITLE. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN WARRANTIES, AND, IN SUCH CASES, THE STATED EXCLUSIONS DO NOT APPLY. PYMNTS RESERVES THE RIGHT AND SHOULD NOT BE LIABLE SHOULD IT EXERCISE ITS RIGHT TO MODIFY, INTERRUPT, OR DISCONTINUE THE AVAILABILITY OF THE CONTENT OR ANY COMPONENT OF IT WITH OR WITHOUT NOTICE.
    PYMNTS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER, AND, IN PARTICULAR, SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, OR DAMAGES FOR LOST PROFITS, LOSS OF REVENUE, OR LOSS OF USE, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THE CONTENT, WHETHER SUCH DAMAGES ARISE IN CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE, TORT, UNDER STATUTE, IN EQUITY, AT LAW, OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF PYMNTS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
    SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW FOR THE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, AND IN SUCH CASES, SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS DO NOT APPLY. THE ABOVE DISCLAIMERS AND LIMITATIONS ARE PROVIDED BY PYMNTS AND ITS PARENTS, AFFILIATED AND RELATED COMPANIES, CONTRACTORS, AND SPONSORS, AND EACH OF ITS RESPECTIVE DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, MEMBERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, CONTENT COMPONENT PROVIDERS, LICENSORS, AND ADVISERS.
    Components of the content original to and the compilation produced by PYMNTS is the property of PYMNTS and cannot be reproduced without its prior written permission.