Cost of living is up. Paychecks are not. And workers are not OK.

American workers have one big complaint about their jobs: They don’t get paid enough to keep up with the soaring cost of living.

Even with cost-of-living adjustments or pay increases, 4 in 10 workers say their income has not kept up with their expenses, according to a new USA TODAY/SurveyMonkey Workforce Survey of more than 3,000 American workers.

Heading into the 2026 midterm elections, cost-of-living concerns are the central issue at kitchen tables across America. With Americans paying higher prices for everything from groceries to car insurance, savings are dwindling, credit card debt is mounting and household budgets are stretched thin.

And so are their options to do something about it. Job insecurity and anxiety have spread with the hiring slowdown and waves of layoffs. Many workers are keeping the job they have rather than hunting for a new one, even if that means it's harder to negotiate better pay.

Only 1 in 5 workers say their pay increased more than inflation over the past year. One in 3 say their pay kept pace with higher living expenses.