Kearney: many US six-figure earners are 'on thin ice' despite high pay
Mar 22nd 2026 · United States
A Kearney analysis and recent surveys show many US households with six-figure incomes are financially exposed to housing costs, debt, lifestyle inflation, and regional cost differences despite high nominal earnings.
- Kearney finds a large share of high earners are overleveraged and vulnerable, with nearly half of the top 20% potentially at risk.
- Household incomes from roughly $160,000 to $700,000 are split into groups where the lower end faces greater exposure to shocks.
- Key vulnerabilities are housing costs, debt and interest rates, job market shifts, stock market swings, and lifestyle creep.
- Households earning more than $700,000 a year are largely insulated from these risks and classified as secure elites.
- Kearney did not set a fixed income cutoff because financial stability depends on factors like local cost of living.
- Surveys from 2025 show many high earners use rewards, buy now pay later, or credit to cover essentials and a sizable share report living paycheck to paycheck.