Here’s How Badly The Coronavirus Has Impacted Americans’ Personal Finances

Even as the economy begins to reopen, the coronavirus pandemic has left tens of millions of Americans in financial trouble. More than 44 million people have filed unemployment claims over the past 13 weeks, and some emergency federal rescue programs are now on the brink of expiring. 

Credit giant TransUnion

TRU
’s latest Financial Hardship Report paints a picture of how hard the coronavirus pandemic is hitting consumer finances across the country. Here are the key takeaways. 

106 million

That’s the number of consumer loan accounts in forbearance, deferred payment, or natural disaster status as of May 31. At the end of April, just a month earlier, that number was 35 million. 

26%

That’s the portion of consumers who said they were cutting back on retirement savings because of the pandemic.

16%

That’s the portion of consumers who said they are refinancing their debt. 

$985.20

That’s the average budget shortfall American households are facing. 

60%

That’s the portion of consumers who plan to reach out to the companies that manage their accounts to discuss payment plans. 

1.5 million

That’s how many people filed new unemployment claims for the week ending June 13. It’s higher than the 1.3 million claims most experts were expecting—evidence that the labor market’s recovery will not be instant.  

$600 

That’s how much extended federal unemployment benefits are worth per week under the CARES Act. Those benefits are set to expire on July 31.