---
title: "Personal Saving Rate"
slug: the-buffer
summary: "Personal saving rate at 3.8% in September 2026, down from 5.1% a year earlier"
category: "Savings"
unit: percent
frequency: monthly
direction: lower_is_worse
latest_value: 3.8
latest_period: "2026-09"
trend: stable
last_updated: "2026-10-29T00:00:00Z"
source: "U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data retrieved via FRED"
source_url: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/PSAVERT
canonical_html: https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-buffer/
citation_apa: "Kilburn, R. (2026). Personal Saving Rate [Data set]. American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-buffer/"
citation_chicago: "Kilburn, Ross. 2026. \"Personal Saving Rate.\" American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-buffer/."
citation_mla: "Kilburn, Ross. \"Personal Saving Rate.\" American Default Research, 2026, americandefault.org/indicators/the-buffer/."
---

# Personal Saving Rate

Also tracked as The Buffer.

> Personal saving rate at 3.8% in September 2026, down from 5.1% a year earlier

## Current Reading

As of September 2026, Personal Saving Rate is **3.8%** (stable).

personal saving rate — down from a year earlier

## What Changed

- The personal saving rate was 3.8% of disposable personal income in September 2026, little changed from 4% in August 2026.
- The rate was lower than a year earlier, when it was 5.1%.
- The lowest rate since October 2022.

## Recent Values

| Period | Value |
|--------|-------|
| 2026-09 | 3.8% |
| 2026-08 | 4% |
| 2026-07 | 4.5% |
| 2026-06 | 4.4% |
| 2026-05 | 4.4% |
| 2026-04 | 4.4% |
| 2026-03 | 5.1% |
| 2026-02 | 5.3% |
| 2026-01 | 5.6% |
| 2025-12 | 5% |
| 2025-11 | 4.9% |
| 2025-10 | 4.9% |

## Historical Context

- Peak since 1959: **31.8%** in April 2020
- Low since 1959: **1.4%** in July 2005
- Pre-pandemic average (2015-01 – 2019-12): **6.14%**
- Post-pandemic average (2020-01 – 2024-12): **8.47%**

## Methodology

This indicator carries monthly observations and is interpreted as lower values indicate worse household conditions. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data retrieved via FRED.
Automation: collected automatically on the daily refresh pipeline, with no hand entry.

## Source

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data retrieved via FRED — [https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/PSAVERT](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/PSAVERT)

Data retrieved: 2026-10-29T00:00:00Z

## Related Indicators

- [the-cannibalization-rate](https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-cannibalization-rate/)
- [the-safety-net](https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-safety-net/)

## Machine-Readable Endpoints

- HTML page: https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-buffer/
- JSON: https://americandefault.org/api/indicators/the-buffer.json
- CSV: https://americandefault.org/api/downloads/the-buffer.csv
- BibTeX: https://americandefault.org/citations/the-buffer.bib
- RIS: https://americandefault.org/citations/the-buffer.ris

## Citation

**APA 7th**

    Kilburn, R. (2026). Personal Saving Rate [Data set]. American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-buffer/

**Chicago (author-date)**

    Kilburn, Ross. 2026. "Personal Saving Rate." American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-buffer/.

**MLA 9th**

    Kilburn, Ross. "Personal Saving Rate." American Default Research, 2026, americandefault.org/indicators/the-buffer/.

Use **American Default Research** as the institutional name in source lists, bibliographies, and press citations. **American Default** is the brand and URL form. **American Distress Index (ADI)** is the product name for the national composite score.