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Informal Support Networks in the Survey of Consumer Finances

  • Informal financial and caregiving (F/CG) networks serve as a critical, often invisible component of the U.S. economy that shapes household decisions & provides buffers against adverse shocks.
  • Analysis of the 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances reveals that 85.4 percent of U.S. families are part of an informal F/CG network, while 14.6 percent have no such network.
  • 44.2 percent of families actively provided or received monetary or time support in the past year, & 79.7 percent can rely on others for emergency financial assistance.
  • Participation in emergency support networks rises sharply with wealth, ranging from roughly 60 percent for low-wealth families to over 90 percent for high-wealth families.
  • Low-wealth families exhibit higher reciprocity (both giving & receiving support), whereas higher-wealth families are predominantly net providers of resources.
  • A "high-risk" group comprising 5.5 percent of families exists; these are low-wealth households lacking any informal F/CG network.
  • The high-risk group is disproportionately composed of renters (93.3 percent), young families (31.6 percent under age 35), & Black or Hispanic families.
  • Traditional balance sheet measures likely underestimate economic inequality & financial fragility by omitting the protective role of informal support networks.
  • Families without informal networks rely solely on their balance sheets, making them more vulnerable to debt default, medical care forgone, & material hardship during shocks.
  • Data used in the analysis were derived from new questions added to the 2025 SCF measuring time transfers, monetary transfers, & emergency financial connectivity.