Optimizing Financial Education Utilization
Title
Financial Well-Being by State
Document Type
Issue/Research Brief/Blog
Publication Date
11-2019
Keywords
financial status and behavior, general population
Abstract
In 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) released its first report on financial well-being based on in-depth interviews with adults ages 18 and older across the United States. The report revealed that people’s definition of financial well-being was the same regardless of geographic location and other demographic factors. The report suggested, however, that financial well-being is likely to vary by state and neighborhood because of differences in employment opportunities and the availability of products and services at these geographic levels. The report also suggested that the importance of these “contextual” factors was relatively different for adults ages 62 and older than their younger counterparts.
This report provides the first state-by-state description of the financial well-being of adults in the United States, as measured by the CFPB Financial Well-Being Scale. The report is based on public data from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Investor Education Foundation (FINRA Foundation) 2018 National Financial Capability Study State-by-State Survey (NFCS). The report highlights important patterns found in the distribution of scores by state and age group. The report specifically analyzes and compares financial well-being score patterns for adults ages 18 to 61 and adults ages 62 and older.
