State of the US Consumer: May–June 2026
Household financial sentiment slips, but spending intent finds a footing
Article
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3-min read
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05 June 2026
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Deloitte Consumer Industry Center
Key insights about US consumers from Deloitte’s ConsumerSignals
- Deloitte’s financial well-being index slipped in April, as headline inflation reaccelerated to its highest reading since early 2024. The index currently stands below the near-peak level recorded in February but is still modestly above year-ago levels (figure 1).
- Pressures from price expectations remain elevated but have moderated slightly from the spike in March. Both gas and grocery price expectations are holding steady at their highest levels in years (figure 2).
- Despite the reported erosion in financial confidence, discretionary spending intentions have rebounded for a second consecutive month (figure 3).
- Nondiscretionary intent eased from its January peak but remains historically elevated (figure 3).
- Within nondiscretionary categories, pressure points kept shifting from April to May: Grocery spending intent jumped to its highest level since August 2025, tracking the renewed increase in price expectations; health care spending intent slid to its lowest in over a year (figure 4).
BY
Stephen Rogers
United States
Editorial and production: Arpan Saha and Preetha Devan
Knowledge services: Rohan Singh
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