What do Americans think of the economy?
In 2025, roughly one-fourth of adults described the national economy as good or excellent, down 3 percentage points from 2024.
In 2025, 45% of American adults felt that their local economy was in good or excellent shape, down from 46% in 2024. The share assessing the state of the national economy as good or excellent dropped from 29% in 2024 to 26%.
The Federal Reserve produces an annual report on the economic well-being of US households, allowing for comparisons over time.
How have Americans’ feelings about the economy changed?
In 2019, 63% of adults felt that their local economy was in either good or excellent shape, while 50% thought the same of the national economy. In 2022, both sentiments hit low points at 38% locally and 18% nationally.
Both figures had been increasing since 2022.
Fewer Americans say the economy is in good shape compared to 2024.
Percentage of adults who think the economy is in "good" or "excellent" shape, 2017–2025
What do people think about their local economies?
People’s perceptions of their local economies were relatively consistent across regions. In the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West alike, between 41% and 48% of adults thought their local economy was in good or excellent shape.
This represented a slight decline for the West (-4), South (-1), and Northeast (-1), while there was no change in the Midwest.
People’s perception of their local economy varies more by urban–rural characteristics than by region.
Percentage of adults who think their local economy is in “good” or “excellent” shape
While regional differences are limited, there is a larger disparity among responses from metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. In 2025, 46% of respondents in metropolitan areas thought the economy was doing at least good, a three-point decrease from 2024. In nonmetropolitan areas, 37% of respondents thought so, up six points from the previous year.
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