Census releases March data on household finances, health and social connection

The U.S. Census Bureau released detailed tables July 23 from its March 2026 Household Trends and Outlook Pulse Survey, offering a near-real-time snapshot of economic, health and social conditions among U.S. households.

The survey collected responses from about 136,000 households between March 13 and March 30. Its measures include loss of employment income, employment status and sector, food sufficiency, health insurance coverage, mental health, social connectedness, difficulty paying usual household expenses, price changes for goods and services, stress caused by higher prices and participation in the arts.

The release covers the nation and smaller geographic areas. It includes detailed tables, standard-error tables and a public-use file or data tool for customized analysis. The Census Bureau’s announcement presents the information as tables rather than a single headline percentage for each measure, so the results must be examined by topic, geography and demographic group.

Beginning with the March release, HTOPS uses a cross-sectional design focused on content from the Household Pulse Survey. The Census Bureau describes the product as experimental and says it is collected every other month to provide timely information about household conditions. The tables, technical documentation and data-quality information are available through the bureau’s data pages.