The inflation rate may have cooled from pandemic-era levels, but higher prices are still wreaking havoc on millions of Americans’ budgets. Affordability is suddenly the buzzword du jour after years of soaring prices for groceries, health care, housing and other essentials.
And it’s not exactly a surprise that inflation is the top financial concern among Americans across all income groups, according to a 2025 Gallup poll — a spot it has occupied every year since 2022.
