Latino, others, struggle to pay their family’s expenses

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Lower-income parents are much more likely to say there have been times in the past year when they did not have enough money for basic needs. About half of lower-income parents (52%) say they have not had enough money for food or their rent or mortgage. By comparison, 17% of middle-income parents say the same about each of these items, while 5% of upper-income parents say they have struggled to pay for food and 4% for rent or a mortgage.
Some 37% of lower-income parents say they have struggled to pay for medical or health care for their families at some point in the past year, compared with 21% of middle-income and just 6% of upper-income parents. Among those who needed child care, 38% of lower-income parents say there have been times in the past year when they didn’t have enough money to pay for it. Much smaller shares of middle-income (16%) and upper-income parents (4%) say the same.
Black and Hispanic parents, who tend to have lower incomes than their White and Asian counterparts, are especially likely to say there have been times in the last year when they could not afford food or housing. About four-in-ten Black parents (39%) say they have struggled to pay their rent or mortgage in the past year, higher than the share of Hispanic (32%), White (19%) and Asian parents (18%) who says the same.
Black (34%) and Hispanic parents (31%) are also more likely than White (21%) and Asian parents (16%) to say they have not had enough money for food their family needed in the past year.
Three-in-ten mothers – compared with 19% of fathers – say there have been times in the past year when they did not have enough money to buy food. Mothers are also more likely than fathers (28% vs. 20%) to say there have been times when they did not have enough money to pay their rent or mortgage. And while 24% of mothers who needed child care say there were times in the past year when they weren’t able to afford it, a smaller share of fathers (16%) say the same.