⛽ GAS: $3.47/gal — takes 2.5 hrs of min-wage work to fill a tank ·
🏠 MEDIAN RENT: $1,987/mo — up 31% since 2020 ·
💳 CREDIT CARD DEBT: all-time high $1.17T — delinquencies rising ·
🥫 FOOD BANK VISITS: up 38% since 2022 ·
🏚️ EVICTIONS: 3.4M filings in 2024 — back above pre-pandemic levels ·
💼 NEW JOBS: 43% pay under $18/hr — median rent requires $28/hr ·
🛒 EGGS: $5.89/dz — up 237% since 2020 ·
📉 REAL WAGES (inflation-adjusted): down 4.1% since 2021, still falling — BLS Apr 2026 ·
🏦 SAVINGS RATE: 2.6% — near historic lows ·
⛽ GAS: $3.47/gal — takes 2.5 hrs of min-wage work to fill a tank ·
🏠 MEDIAN RENT: $1,987/mo — up 31% since 2020 ·
💳 CREDIT CARD DEBT: all-time high $1.17T — delinquencies rising ·
🥫 FOOD BANK VISITS: up 38% since 2022 ·
🏚️ EVICTIONS: 3.4M filings in 2024 — back above pre-pandemic levels ·
💼 NEW JOBS: 43% pay under $18/hr — median rent requires $28/hr ·
🛒 EGGS: $5.89/dz — up 237% since 2020 ·
📉 REAL WAGES (inflation-adjusted): down 4.1% since 2021 ·
🏦 SAVINGS RATE: 2.6% — near historic lows
Ecomomics for non-Wall Street people
The Nuff
Report
Report
Real Dollars. Real People. No Spin.
LIVE ECONOMIC DASHBOARD
● REAL-TIME DATA
Not fed by government numbers
Sourced from Numbeo · Zillow · ADP
Princeton Eviction Lab · EIA · AAA
Feeding America · Paychex
Sourced from Numbeo · Zillow · ADP
Princeton Eviction Lab · EIA · AAA
Feeding America · Paychex
Live Data Feed
The Market Is Up.
So Is Your Rent.
Your Paycheck Isn't.
So Is Your Rent.
Your Paycheck Isn't.
The Dow hit record highs. Wall Street called it a strong economy.
Meanwhile, 38% more Americans visited food banks last year.
We show what economists won't say out loud.
Eviction filings (2024)
0
Back above pre-pandemic levels
Princeton Eviction Lab
Princeton Eviction Lab
Food bank visits up since 2022
0%
Feeding America, 2024 report
Consumer credit card debt ($B)
$0B
All-time record high · FRED/NY Fed
Real American Snapshot
Gas Pain Index
2.5 hrs
Hours of min-wage work to fill a 15-gal tank at
$3.47/gal
· EIA / AAA live data
↑ Was 1.8 hrs in 2020 — getting worse
Rent vs. Wage Gap
$38.21/hr
Hourly wage needed to afford median US rent of $1,987/mo without spending over 30% of income · Zillow
↑ Federal min wage is only $7.25/hr
Credit Card Delinquency
2.92%
Still near post-2011 highs. People are maxing out cards just to cover basics · FRED Q1 2026
↑ Up from 1.7% in 2021
Medical Debt Crisis
100M
Americans carrying medical debt. 36% report skipping or postponing care due to cost · KFF 2025
↑ 1 in 3 adults still skipping needed care
Personal Savings Rate
2.6%
Near historic lows. Americans saving less than at almost any point on record. Pre-pandemic avg: 8.3% · BEA via FRED
↓ Down from 8.3% in 2019 — Apr 2026
Real Purchasing Power
−4.1%
Wages up 3.6% in 2026 — but inflation hit 3.8%. Still losing ground since 2021 · BLS Apr 2026
↓ Real wages down 0.3% yr/yr — still losing to inflation
Home Affordability Index
4.8×
Median home price ($399K) is 4.8× median household income ($84K). Mortgage rate: 6.4%. Historical norm: 3–4× · Redfin / Census 2026
↑ 74% of renters can't afford to buy in their city · at 6.4% rates
Job Quality Reality
43%
Of new jobs in 2025, nearly half paid under $18/hr. Top hiring sectors: food service ($14.92/hr) and home health ($16.78/hr) · BLS / ADP
↑ 43% of new jobs still won't cover median rent in 2026
What They Say vs. What You Live
Unemployment — official line
“3.9% unemployment” — historically low
VS
REALITY
REALITY
Unemployment — what's real
Real (U-6) rate: 8.3% — counts people who stopped looking and those forced into part-time work. 24M underemployed.
Inflation — official line
“CPI is 3.2% — cooling down”
VS
REALITY
REALITY
Inflation — what's real
Groceries +47% since 2020. Rent +31%. Insurance +28%. CPI smooths and averages — it doesn't tell you what happened at the checkout line.
Wage Growth — official line
“Wages are up 4.1% year-over-year”
VS
REALITY
REALITY
Wage Growth — what's real
Inflation erased it. When wages rise 4% but groceries rose 8%, you lost ground. Real purchasing power has fallen since 2021.
Consumer Spending — official line
“Consumer spending remains robust”
VS
REALITY
REALITY
Consumer Spending — what's real
Credit card debt: $1.07T — an all-time record. People are spending on plastic because paychecks don't stretch.
Financial Security — official line
“Americans are in a strong financial position”
VS
REALITY
REALITY
Financial Security — what's real
Personal savings rate: 3.6% — near historic lows. Pre-pandemic it was 8.3%. When savings fall, one emergency becomes a financial crisis.
The Nuff Report Standard
We don't report on what the market did today. We report on whether a family of four can afford dinner. Those are different economies — and only one of them is yours.
Data: FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis) · Updates monthly
Grocery Reality Check — 2020 vs. Today
Real shelf prices. Not “food at home” indices. Not seasonally adjusted. What it actually costs to eat.
Dozen Eggs
$1.72$5.89+243%
Ground Beef (1 lb)
$4.12$6.47+57%
Butter (1 lb)
$3.38$5.89+74%
White Bread (loaf)
$2.49$4.19+68%
Whole Milk (gallon)
$3.27$4.49+37%
Chicken Breast (1 lb)
$3.19$5.12+60%
Orange Juice (64oz)
$3.89$7.49+93%
Cheddar Cheese (8oz)
$3.11$5.39+73%
Olive Oil (16.9oz)
$6.49$12.99+100%
Coffee (12oz)
$7.49$13.49+80%
Standard basket of 10 items
2020 total
$42.15
→
2025 total
$71.43
+$29.28
extra per grocery run · every single week
$1,522/year in new grocery costs alone
Real People. Real Numbers.
Submitted anonymously by Nuff Report readers. These are not talking points. These are lives.
I make $58,000 a year. Sounds decent until you realize my rent is $1,850/mo, daycare is $1,400/mo, and I have $190 left for everything else.
Jennifer, 34 · Columbus, OH
Paralegal
I work 3 gig jobs — DoorDash, Instacart, and weekend shifts at Target. I haven't had a day off in 9 months. The economy is doing great, they say.
Marcus, 28 · Atlanta, GA
Gig Worker
We skipped the dentist for two years. Not because we don't care about our teeth — because it was the dentist or groceries. We chose groceries.
Rosa, 51 · Phoenix, AZ
School Aide
Your Reality
Tell Us Your Truth.
Your story anonymously added to the record. Because the data that matters most is yours.
✓ Received. Your truth is now part of the record. Thank you.
Live National Gas Price — EIA + AAA Data
National Average · Regular Unleaded · EIA (Primary) · AAA (Backup)
$—
per gallon
Source: EIA (Primary) · AAA (Backup) · Updates daily
Hours at Min Wage to Fill Up
—
15-gallon tank ÷ $7.25/hr federal minimum wage. In 2020 this was 1.8 hrs.
↑ Was 1.8 hrs in 2020
Monthly Fuel Cost (avg driver)
$—
Based on 1,000 miles/month at 25 mpg. That's 40 gallons a month.
↑ Was ~$87/mo in 2020
Price Increase Since 2020
+$—
Per gallon vs. the 2020 national average of $2.17.
↑ 2020 avg was $2.17/gal
Annual Fuel Burden
$—
What the average driver spends on gas per year. In 2020 this was ~$1,040.
↑ Was ~$1,040/yr in 2020