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Lower-income Americans hit hardest by gas price spike, widening inequalities, study finds

Lower-income households cut gas use 7% but still spent 12% more, while higher-income households raised spending 19%, the New York Fed said.

  • New research released by The New York Fed shows spiking gas prices disproportionately impact Lower-income Americans, who reduced consumption yet still spent more at the pump, worsening economic disparities.
  • The Iran war began in Feb, and by month's end gas prices had risen about 25%, according to government consumer price data, forcing households to adjust spending patterns.
  • Poorer households cut gas consumption by 7% but spent 12% more in March, while overall gas consumption fell 3% and total spending at gas stations jumped 15%.
  • A K-shaped pattern in gasoline consumption emerged, with Higher-income Americans continuing to do well while Lower-income Americans fall behind, reflecting divergent household experiences.
  • The disparate outcomes explain the gloomy attitude Americans have toward the economy, even as headline figures like unemployment remain solid, researchers at The New York Fed wrote.
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Researchers at the New York Fed indicated in their report that in drastic increases in gasoline a pattern in the form of “k” is emerging.

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The Columbian broke the news in Vancouver, United States on Wednesday, May 6, 2026.
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