Down from last year, 64% of Americans say they feel confident they have enough money to live comfortably throughout retirement, as financial strain, rising costs and growing concern about the future of Social Security and Medicare continue to weigh on workers and retirees alike.
The 36th annual Retirement Confidence Survey, conducted jointly by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) and Greenwald Research, released some of its key findings.
• Retirement confidence declined for both workers and retirees. Workers’ confidence in having enough money to live comfortably in retirement fell 6 percentage points from 2025 to 61%, while retirees’ confidence fell 5 percentage points to 73%.
• Concern about changes to the retirement system remains high. Seven in 10 retirees and 4 in 5 workers said they are concerned the government will make changes to the U.S. retirement system. Confidence in the future value of Social Security and Medicare benefits also declined. Only about half of workers and 6 in 10 retirees said they are confident those programs will continue to provide benefits of equal value in the future.
• Financial well-being weakened, and emergency readiness slipped. Fewer than 2 in 5 workers and half of retirees rated their household financial well-being as at least very good. Fewer than 3 in 5 workers said they have enough savings to handle an emergency expense, down from 64% in 2025. Among retirees, fewer than 7 in 10 said the same, down from 74%.
• Debt remains a major obstacle, especially for workers. Sixty-five percent of workers said debt is a problem for their household, and one-quarter described it as a major problem. Half of workers have credit card debt, and nearly 1 in 3 have more than $25,000 in non-mortgage debt. About 3 in 5 workers and 3 in 10 retirees said debt negatively affects their ability to save for or live comfortably in retirement.
• Health care costs continue to strain Americans before and during retirement. Nearly 6 in 10 workers said the cost of health care is hurting their ability to save for retirement, while 2 in 5 retirees said health care expenses in retirement have been higher than expected. Fewer than half of workers and retirees said they have calculated how much they will need to save for health care expenses in retirement.
• Housing costs are another growing source of pressure. Seven in 10 workers and half of retirees are concerned that rising housing costs will affect their retirement. Three in 5 workers and one-third of retirees said high housing costs are already hurting their ability to save.
• Workers increasingly expect to retire later and keep working in retirement.
• Many Americans still do not know where to turn for retirement guidance. More than 2 in 5 workers and one-quarter of retirees said they do not know where to go for financial or retirement planning advice.
