Owning a Home Not Among Americans’ Problems

The latest Gallup poll shows that the average American has a lot of problems, but owning a home is not one of the biggies any more.

Right now, more Americans are concerned about healthcare costs, low wages and a lack of jobs.

When it comes to the capital markets, they worry about the cost of college for their children.

But, the most striking result of the Gallup poll, explained in the chart below, is the shift in the attitude towards owning a home.

Owning a Home Half as Important As Three Years Ago

In just three short years, the number of Americans who cite the costs associated with homeownership and renting as one of their biggest financial worries, sliced firmly in half.

In 2012, a full 12% of Americans put this cost at the top of their financial worry. Now it's dropped all the way down to 6%.

Although when broken down by income, the results skew somewhat.

Below the $30k/year bracket, housing is the most important worry for 9% of the respondents. That lowers to 4% in the $30k to $75k range. But then, it jumps up to 6% for Americans making more than that.

Perhaps not surprisingly, lower-income Americans name "lack of money/cash flow" and "not enough money to pay debts" as their top most important money woes.

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