Analysiswage to walletlabor economyconsumer spendingside income
U.S. Economy Shows Uneven Growth and Strain
7.1
Federal Reserve's Beige Book, released March 4, reports restrained U.S. growth with seven of 12 districts seeing slight to moderate activity, while five districts stagnated or declined. PYMNTS Intelligence's Wage to Wallet Index and related research show about 60 million workers earning $25/hour or less face persistent financial stress—index 49.4 in February—many relying on side income, signaling constrained consumer spending.
Key Points
- 1Reports show modest national economic growth: seven of 12 Fed districts report slight to moderate activity.
- 2PYMNTS Wage to Wallet Index registers 49.4, indicating persistent financial stress among lower-wage Labor Economy workers.
- 3Many workers rely on side income: nearly 20% report side work; 41.4% use it for basic expenses.
Scoring Rationale
Broad national scope and official Fed data drive score, tempered by limited novelty and single-source private analysis.
Sources
Public references used for this report.
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