New York Fed’s Upcoming Report and Webinar on Low-Income Communities’ Credit Access

NEW YORK-On Thursday, May 7, 2026, at 9:00 AM the Federal Reserve Bank of New York will release a report on credit access for the 55 million U.S. households that have trouble affording necessities. It will also host an open-press webinar on the report that morning at 10:00 AM.

The report, "Credit Insecurity and ALICE Households in the United States," examines access to credit for families that are below the Federal Poverty Level , as well as households that are Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE), with income above the federal poverty level but below the cost of basics in the counties where they live. Together, those categories comprise 42% of U.S. households.

Using regional data on credit availability the report compares credit access in low-income counties with credit access in higher-income counties.

The report is part of the New York Fed Community Development team's ongoing work on credit access. It follows the 2025 report, Credit Insecurity in the United States: 2018-2023; The State of Low-Income America: Credit Access & Housing, released in 2024; and The State of Low-Income America: Credit Access & Debt Payment, released in 2022.

The New York Fed Community Development team works to understand the economic experiences of lower-income households and communities to help build a stronger economy for all Americans. Community development is one of the Federal Reserve's core functions as the U.S. central bank, rooted in the Fed's mandates from Congress.