AI Workforce

The Bottom Half

Share of household wealth held by the bottom 50 percent

What is the current Bottom Half?

BOTTOM-HALF WEALTH SHARE
2.5%
of all U.S. household wealth is held by the bottom 50 percent of families

Bottom 50% Share of Household Wealth: 2.5% as of 2026-Q1, and holding steady. Source: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System data retrieved via FRED (WFRBSB50215).

The Bottom Half at 2.5%

Tracking stable relative to recent baseline.

Source: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System data retrieved via FRED · Source data ↗
Related signals confirming this trend
The Adoption Curve
10%
As of Q3 2025, one in ten employers used AI for what humans used to
AI Workforce
The Horizon
1044.8 hours
Machines now handle professional tasks that would take 26 work-weeks of human time
AI Workforce
The Tech Drought
90K ↓ Improving
Tech companies stopped hiring and the data shows it
AI Workforce

How has The Bottom Half changed over time?

CSV Chart
The bottom 50 percent of the country holds a sliver of its wealth
Share of total household net worth held by the bottom 50 percent
The Bottom Half
Data: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System data retrieved via FRED (WFRBSB50215) Updated Jul 2026

Most affected counties

Counties with the highest labor scores in the County Distress Index.

1 Imperial County CA 100 2 Yuma County AZ 99.9 3 Dawson County NE 99.9 4 Luna County NM 99.9 5 Colusa County CA 99.8 6 Tulare County CA 99.6 7 Merced County CA 99.4 8 Starr County TX 99.4 9 Maverick County TX 99.3 10 Kern County CA 99.2
Explore all 3,144 counties →
Historical data
Quarterly · Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System data retrieved via FRED (WFRBSB50215)
Period Value YoY Change
Q1 2026 2.5% 0 pp
Q4 2025 2.5% 0 pp
Q3 2025 2.5% +0.1 pp
Q2 2025 2.5% 0 pp
Q1 2025 2.5% 0 pp
Q4 2024 2.5% 0 pp
Q3 2024 2.4% -0.1 pp
Q2 2024 2.5% -0.1 pp
Q1 2024 2.5% -0.1 pp
Q4 2023 2.5% -0.1 pp
Q3 2023 2.5% -0.2 pp
Q2 2023 2.6% -0.1 pp

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Bottom 50% Share of Household Wealth?

Share of household wealth held by the bottom 50 percent

Why does Bottom 50% Share of Household Wealth matter for financial distress?

Bottom 50% Share of Household Wealth is one of the indicators tracked by the American Distress Index (ADI), which measures five dimensions of U.S. household financial distress: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Changes in this indicator contribute to the overall distress picture.

Where does the Bottom 50% Share of Household Wealth data come from?

This data comes from Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System data retrieved via FRED (WFRBSB50215). More information: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/WFRBSB50215. The American Distress Index updates this indicator quarterly.

Ross Kilburn
Written by

Ross Kilburn, Founder

American Default Research · Seattle, Washington
𝕏 @

Two decades working directly with financially distressed American households — from property preservation in 2003, to negotiating over 1,000 short sales during the Great Recession, to foreclosure defense marketing today. Author, The Ark Law Group Complete Guide to Short Sales (Auroch Press, 2013). Twice named to Puget Sound Business Journal Fast 50 for Ark Law Group. B.A., University of California, Berkeley, 1992. Founded American Default Research in 2026 to fill a gap in public data that had been empty since 2013.

Read more
from Ross →

Quick poll

Is this affecting you or your household?

Anonymous · one vote per indicator

Create a free account to save indicators to your watchlist and get weekly updates.

Create Free Account →

Discussion

Loading comments…

Free Resource
Know Your Rights
Foreclosure timelines, bankruptcy protections, and debt collector rules — state-by-state legal guides written in plain English.
Browse state guides →
Free · 2 minutes
Get Your Free Action Plan
Answer three questions about your situation. We'll email you a personalized plan with your state deadlines, your rights, and next steps — plus a direct line to someone who can help.
Start free assessment → Or call (888) 602-4161

Why does The Bottom Half matter?

The Bottom Half is one of 98 live indicators tracked by American Default Research. The methodology page explains sources, update cadence, and how the index uses its published inputs.
View methodology →
🛟
If this affects you, we can help. Get a free action plan · Call (888) 602-4161 Find help near you · Browse the Glossary Prefer a nonprofit? HUD-approved housing counselors offer free foreclosure-prevention counseling (1-800-569-4287).