Anyone who has ever stared at a card reader and silently begged for an approval knows that knot-in-the-stomach feeling. That reaction is usually blamed on tight budgets, but new research shows even households earning $200,000 a year are dodging their banking apps because the numbers on the screen feel stressful, not soothing.
According to new research from The Harris Poll, 40% of six-figure earners say they have avoided checking their account balance to reduce stress, and that share jumps to 42% among those earning $200,000 or more. Nearly half of people in this group also say they struggle with financial anxiety, and a majority feel guilty complaining about money at all because they know they earn more than most.
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The "Income Paradox Survey" was run online in the U.S. between July 31 and Aug. 2. It captured 2,109 adults nationwide, including 728 people with personal incomes of at least $100,000 and 280 who earn $200,000 or more, roughly the top 10% of individual income earners. So the people saying they are stressed are not the outliers at the very bottom of the six-figure pack.
The top-line numbers explain why opening a banking app has turned into a jump scare. Six figures now looks more like survival than success. Harris finds 64% of six-figure earners agree that six figures is "survival mode, not a sign of wealth," and 52% say that even at this level, the American Dream is not possible for them. About 1 in 3 describe themselves as financially distressed, meaning they feel stretched, struggling or drowning with their finances.
The money is not being blown on designer handbags or mansions. It is going to the same categories that challenge everyone else, just with bigger price tags. When Harris asked what is draining income the most right now, six-figure earners pointed first to grocery and household essentials at 36%, followed by rent or mortgage payments at 32%, and health insurance or medical costs at 31%. Unexpected emergencies and transportation costs round out the top five, both at around 30%.
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Those basics leave little room for comfort spending. More than half of six-figure earners say things like regular vacations, driving a new car, or dining out regularly fall into a financial "pressure zone" where they either stretch to cover the cost or actively avoid it to stay stable. It is a quiet reset of what used to count as middle-class life.
To bridge the gap, many high earners lean on workarounds that used to be associated with people making far less. Three-quarters of six-figure earners have put everyday bills on a credit card in the past three months because they ran out of cash, not to chase rewards. That rises to 80% among those earning $200,000 or more. Nearly half of the $200,000 group say they rely on credit cards to make ends meet, and 45% say buy now, pay later has become a regular part of how they spend their money.
The coping strategies go beyond plastic. Among six-figure earners, 61% are either already working a side hustle or planning to, and sizable shares report selling personal items, cutting back on medical care, or even skipping meals to keep up with expenses. In the same survey, 62% say it feels nearly impossible to keep up with expenses on one income.
Rising prices have not helped. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that consumer prices have climbed roughly 23% since 2019, which means a paycheck that once covered a comfortable lifestyle now has to stretch much farther just to stand still. For households whose costs are concentrated in housing, healthcare, childcare and debt, those inflation years are still echoing.
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That leads to the real question: how much would it take for these high earners to finally feel secure instead of stressed every time they glance at a balance.
Harris asked that directly. Half of six-figure earners say a household needs at least $200,000 a year to feel comfortably middle class where they live. Among those already earning $200,000 or more, 75% say the same. Even more striking, 53% of six-figure earners say they would not feel financially secure unless they earned double what they make now, a view that is shared by 53% of the $200,000 group and 55% of all Americans.
In other words, plenty of people already earning $200,000 think they would only breathe easy closer to $400,000. Six-figure salaries were once the finish line. In this survey they look more like mile markers on a moving track, where even the people near the front are still glancing over their shoulders, hoping the next notification is not another bill.
For anyone in that camp, talking with a financial advisor can take some of the drama out of those numbers. A good advisor can help high earners sort out where the money is actually going, build a plan for debt, saving and investing, and pressure-test what "secure" really looks like for their household. It won't fix rising prices or rewrite a paycheck, but it can turn vague dread into a clearer map, which is often the first step toward feeling less anxious every time the banking app lights up.
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