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Consumer spending is constantly evolving. As a result, staying on the pulse of how Americans perceive their personal financial health is key for decision-makers looking to anticipate the shifts that will have the biggest impact. The CivicScience Consumer Financial Health Index (CFHI) utilizes real-time, consumer-declared data to provide an always-on view of these changes, empowering clients to stay top of mind with their audience when it matters most.
The latest monthly reading of the CFHI through the end of July 2026 shows the first decline in several months, down 0.2 points to 61.48. Despite this decline, the index remains 0.36 points ahead of August 2025.
A closer look at the individual components reveals cascading decreases. Credit outlook leads with a 1.35-point decrease, followed by investing outlook (-1.12 points), and savings outlook (-0.68 points). Despite a substantial 1.54-point rebound in debt outlook and a 0.81-point increase in income outlook, those upticks were not enough to offset the compounding negative effect of declining components. Although the decrease may be the leading story for August, it’s worth noting that three of the five CFHI components finished higher than their August 2025 levels, led by income outlook (+1.73 points). With debt and income outlooks ahead of their 2025 figures, consumer perceptions of their overall financial health are slightly better than this time last year as the peak holiday shopping and spending period looms.
After several months of gains, August reversed the CFHI’s positive momentum, dropping to the lowest figure since the beginning of summer and registering the first decline since the end of Q1. As consumers find their rhythm with fall activities – from sports seasons to holiday shopping – time will tell whether these declines will hold, or if the tide of change will once again shift Americans’ financial perspectives. To stay afloat in these ever-changing financial waters, CivicScience clients make confident decisions in real time, thanks to an always-on stream of consumer-declared insights.
