State of the US consumer: February 2026
Financial well-being sentiment slips as real consumer spending growth slows
Interactive
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2-min read
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27 February 2026
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Deloitte Consumer Industry Center
Key insights about US consumers from Deloitte’s ConsumerSignals
- Decreasing comfort around monthly household cash flows and savings levels contributed to a slip in financial well-being sentiment in January (figure 1).
- The percentage of respondents expecting higher grocery prices has formed a clear downtrend in recent months but still remains well above the lows recorded in 2024 (figure 2).
- Despite a February pullback, discretionary spending intentions remain well above 2024 lows, potentially reflecting resilience in the longer-term uptrend (figure 3).
- Spending intentions for housing and utilities continue to climb, signaling pressure on household finances (figure 4).
BY
Stephen Rogers
United States
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