PRIMERICA HOUSEHOLD BUDGET INDEX™ (HBI™): Purchasing Power for Middle-Income Americans Saw Modest Gains in June as Gas Prices Fell

DULUTH, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 31, 2026--

The latest Primerica Household Budget Index™ (HBI™) data, a monthly economic metric that examines how inflation and wage trends impact the ability of middle-income families to afford life’s everyday necessities, is estimated at 100.1% in June, up 1.8% from May and up 0.2% from a year ago.

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The increase in purchasing power was driven primarily by lower gas prices in June. Small declines in health care costs and modest reductions in auto insurance rates also contributed to the boost in spending power. Earned income increased 0.3% month-over-month and increased 4.0% year-over-year for middle-income households.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures inflation for a comprehensive basket of goods for all U.S. households, increased 3.5% in June compared to a year ago. The cost of necessity items as used in the HBI™ metric (food, utilities, gas, auto insurance, and health care) for middle-income Americans is up 4.1% from a year ago.

About the Primerica Household Budget Index™ (HBI™) Data

The Primerica Household Budget Index™ (HBI™) data is constructed monthly on behalf of Primerica by its chief economic consultant Amy Crews Cutts, PhD, CBE ®. The index measures the purchasing power of middle-income families with household incomes from $30,000 to $130,000 and is developed using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Bureau of Census, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. The index looks at the cost of necessities including food, gas, auto insurance, utilities, and health care and earned income to track differences in inflation and wage growth.

Primerica’s HBI™ metric was created to fill an information void around the economy’s impact on middle-income families. Metrics like the Consumer Price Index (CPI) measure overall inflation but don’t offer a clear picture of how it impacts middle-income Americans. Middle-income households play a key role in driving consumer spending and the overall economy as they account for over 55% of the U.S. population. The purchasing power of middle-income families are a key barometer of real-time economic trends. Understanding middle-income households’ purchasing power is important because it shows whether they are gaining financial ground or falling behind.

The HBI™ data uses January 2019 as its baseline, with the value set to 100% at that point in time.

Periodically, prior HBI™ values may be modified due to revisions in the CPI series and Consumer Expenditure Survey releases by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Beginning with the December 2024 release of the index, the expenditure weights have been updated to the most recent (Q1 2024) data and auto insurance has been added to the group of necessity items. For more information, visit householdbudgetindex.com.

About Primerica, Inc.

Primerica, Inc. is a leading diversified financial services distribution company serving middle-income households in the United States and Canada. Our licensed representatives educate families on how to prepare for a more secure financial future and help them achieve their financial goals with our term life insurance and third-party mutual funds, managed accounts, annuities, loans and other financial products. We insured over 5.5 million lives and had approximately 3.1 million client investment accounts as of December 31, 2025. Through our life insurance subsidiaries in North America, in 2025 Primerica was the #3 issuer of term life insurance, which we largely reinsure. Primerica stock is included in the S&P MidCap 400 and the Russell 1000 stock indices and is traded on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PRI”. We are headquartered in Duluth, Georgia.

The latest Primerica Household Budget Index™ (HBI™) data, a monthly economic metric that examines how inflation and wage trends impact the ability of middle-income families to afford life’s everyday necessities, is estimated at 100.1% in June, up 1.8% from May and up 0.2% from a year ago. The increase in purchasing power was driven primarily by lower gas prices in June.

The latest Primerica Household Budget Index™ (HBI™) data, a monthly economic metric that examines how inflation and wage trends impact the ability of middle-income families to afford life’s everyday necessities, is estimated at 100.1% in June, up 1.8% from May and up 0.2% from a year ago. The increase in purchasing power was driven primarily by lower gas prices in June.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Ten international climbers led by a renowned Nepal-born mountaineer were missing after an avalanche struck Broad Peak, one of the world’s highest mountains in northern Pakistan.

The Alpine Club of Pakistan received initial reports that the avalanche struck the team led by Nirmal Purja and the climbers have been out of communication since then, club Vice President Karrar Haidri said in a statement late Thursday.

The expedition includes five Nepalese climbers, Pakistani mountaineer Sohail Sakhi of Hunza, Omani climber Nathira, American climber Mallory Geis, a Chinese climber identified as Wang, and another foreign climber, Haidri said.

The club's president, Maj. Gen. Irfan Arshad, and its senior leaders were in contact with government officials to facilitate an immediate search-and-rescue operation.

The club said every effort was being made to mobilize helicopters and other rescue resources quickly, subject to weather and operational conditions.

Nirmal Purja, whom the club identified by a second name, Nims Dai, is a Nepal-born British citizen who scaled the world's 14 highest peaks in 189 days in 2019, holding a record for the fastest climb until a Norwegian woman and her Nepali Sherpa guide set a new record in 2023. Purja’s climbs were made into a popular Netflix documentary, “14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible.”

Moving Mountains, a travel company based in Pakistan, announced late last month that the expedition team was on its way to the small town of Askole and wished them a safe journey climbing Broad Peak. The company said this was Geis’ first try at an 8,000-meter peak in Pakistan, while it was expected to be Sakhi’s final one.

Sakhi is a guide for the company, as well as a geographer and high-altitude photographer, and has climbed some of the world’s major peaks, according to Moving Mountains’ website.

Geis, 39, lives in San Antonio and is an avid traveler who loves being outdoors, according to her Instagram page. She announced on social media earlier this year that she was closing her Pilates studio to take “a giant leap of faith into the unknown to see where life goes. I have a sneaking suspicion there will be lots of helmets, harnesses, and crampons involved.”

The 8,047-meter (26,401-foot) Broad Peak in the Karakoram range is the world's 12th highest mountain. Pakistan is home to several top mountain peaks and climbers flock from all over the world to attempt to scale the summits.

“The Alpine Club of Pakistan is closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with all concerned stakeholders,” the statement said. It added that the club stands in solidarity with the climbers’ families and the international mountaineering community.

FILE - Nirmal Purja, one of the team member of the all-Nepalese mountaineering team that became the first to scale Mount K2 in winter, gestures as the team arrives at Tribhuwan International airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, Jan. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha, File)