---
title: "Adults Who Paid Less or Skipped Bills"
slug: the-skip-rate
summary: "18.3% of adults paid less on or skipped other debts or bills at least once in the prior 12 months"
category: "Who's Hurting"
unit: percent
frequency: quarterly
direction: higher_is_worse
latest_value: 18.3
latest_period: "2026-Q3"
trend: stable
last_updated: "2026-09-25T18:42:59Z"
source: "Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia LIFE Survey"
measurement_basis: "Share of adult respondents who reported paying less or skipping other debts or monthly bills at least once in the prior 12 months to help afford monthly bill payments. Respondents could select one or more listed coping strategies; this is not a quarterly or monthly missed-payment rate."
source_url: https://www.philadelphiafed.org/surveys-and-data/consumer-finance-data/life-survey
canonical_html: https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-skip-rate/
citation_apa: "Kilburn, R. (2026). Adults Who Paid Less or Skipped Bills [Data set]. American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-skip-rate/"
citation_chicago: "Kilburn, Ross. 2026. \"Adults Who Paid Less or Skipped Bills.\" American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-skip-rate/."
citation_mla: "Kilburn, Ross. \"Adults Who Paid Less or Skipped Bills.\" American Default Research, 2026, americandefault.org/indicators/the-skip-rate/."
---

# Adults Who Paid Less or Skipped Bills

Also tracked as The Skip Rate.

> 18.3% of adults paid less on or skipped other debts or bills at least once in the prior 12 months

## Current Reading

As of 2026-Q3, Adults Who Paid Less or Skipped Bills is **18.3%** (stable).

of adults paid less on or skipped other debts or monthly bills at least once in the prior 12 months

## What Changed

- 18.3% of adults paid less on or skipped other debts or bills in the prior 12 months (Q3 2026 LIFE Survey).
- About the same as the 19.2% of Q3 2025, a year earlier.

## Recent Values

| Period | Value |
|--------|-------|
| 2026-Q3 | 18.3% |
| 2026-Q2 | 17.4% |
| 2026-Q1 | 18.5% |
| 2025-Q4 | 19.7% |
| 2025-Q3 | 19.2% |
| 2025-Q2 | 18.3% |
| 2025-Q1 | 16.7% |
| 2024-Q4 | 17.8% |
| 2024-Q3 | 16.9% |
| 2024-Q2 | 15.8% |
| 2024-Q1 | 18.2% |
| 2023-Q4 | 18% |

## Historical Context

- Peak since 2023: **19.7%** in Q4 2025
- Low since 2023: **14.7%** in Q3 2023

## Methodology

This indicator carries quarterly observations and is interpreted as higher values indicate worse household conditions. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia LIFE Survey.
Measurement basis: Share of adult respondents who reported paying less or skipping other debts or monthly bills at least once in the prior 12 months to help afford monthly bill payments. Respondents could select one or more listed coping strategies; this is not a quarterly or monthly missed-payment rate.
Automation: collected automatically on the daily refresh pipeline, with no hand entry.

## Source

Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia LIFE Survey — [https://www.philadelphiafed.org/surveys-and-data/consumer-finance-data/life-survey](https://www.philadelphiafed.org/surveys-and-data/consumer-finance-data/life-survey)

Data retrieved: 2026-09-25T18:42:59Z

## Related Indicators

- [falling-behind](https://americandefault.org/indicators/falling-behind/)
- [the-buffer](https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-buffer/)
- [the-safety-net](https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-safety-net/)

## Machine-Readable Endpoints

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

## Citation

**APA 7th**

    Kilburn, R. (2026). Adults Who Paid Less or Skipped Bills [Data set]. American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-skip-rate/

**Chicago (author-date)**

    Kilburn, Ross. 2026. "Adults Who Paid Less or Skipped Bills." American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-skip-rate/.

**MLA 9th**

    Kilburn, Ross. "Adults Who Paid Less or Skipped Bills." American Default Research, 2026, americandefault.org/indicators/the-skip-rate/.

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.