--- title: "Fewer Americans use cash today than a decade ago, but many still carry it" description: "Today, 42% of U.S. adults say they don’t use cash for any purchases in a typical week. This is up from 24% in 2015." date: "2026-08-26" authors: - name: "Michelle Faverio" job_title: "Research Associate" link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/michelle-faverio/" - name: "Eugenie Park" job_title: "Research Analyst" link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/eugenie-park/" url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/08/26/fewer-americans-use-cash-today-than-a-decade-ago-but-many-still-carry-it/" categories: - "Economic Policy" - "Economy & Work" - "Personal Finances" --- # Fewer Americans use cash today than a decade ago, but many still carry it ![(Photoschmidt via Getty Images)](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/08/PI_26.08.20_Cashless_featured.png?w=640) Today, 42% of U.S. adults say they don’t use cash for any purchases in a typical week. This is up from 24% in 2015. Fewer – 12% – say they use cash to pay for all or almost all of their purchases in a typical week. Another 46% say they use cash sometimes, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted from May 26 to June 1, 2026. ### Going cashless is more common now than a decade ago *% of U.S. adults who say they make __ of their purchases in a typical week using cash* | | All or almost all | Some | None | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026 | 12 | 46 | 42 | | 2022 | 14 | 44 | 41 | | 2018 | 18 | 52 | 29 | | 2015 | 24 | 51 | 24 | Note: Go to the topline for full question wording. Those who did not give an answer are not shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted May 26-June 1, 2026. **About this research** This Pew Research Center analysis looks at how often Americans are using and carrying cash. #### Why did we do this? Pew Research Center does research to inform the public, journalists and decision-makers. This research builds on our past work studying [the cashless economy](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/10/05/more-americans-are-joining-the-cashless-economy/). #### How did we do this? We surveyed 9,750 U.S. adults from May 26 to June 1, 2026. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel. The survey represents the views of the full U.S. adult population. Here are the [questions we used for this analysis](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/08/SR_26.08.26_cashless_questionnaire.pdf), the [topline](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/08/SR_26.08.26_cashless_topline.pdf) and the [survey methodology](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/08/SR_26.08.26_cashless_methodology.pdf). **Higher-income Americans continue to be far more likely than those with lower incomes to go cashless.** Today, 58% of those in households earning $100,000 or more a year say they make *none* of their purchases with cash in a typical week. This is higher than the 43% of those in households earning $50,000 to $99,999 who say the same. This continues to drop steadily by income, to 24% of those making less than $30,000. ### Higher-income Americans remain much more likely to go cashless for purchases *% of U.S. adults who say they make __ of their purchases in a typical week using cash, by annual household income* | Amount | Year | <$30K | $30K-$49,999 | $50K-$99,999 | $100K+ | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | All or almost all | 2026 | 26 | 16 | 10 | 4 | | All or almost all | 2022 | 30 | 20 | 8 | 4 | | All or almost all | 2018 | 31 | 20 | 11 | 6 | | All or almost all | 2015 | 38 | 24 | 14 | 8 | | None | 2026 | 24 | 33 | 43 | 58 | | None | 2022 | 24 | 35 | 45 | 59 | | None | 2018 | 18 | 27 | 35 | 43 | | None | 2015 | 15 | 24 | 30 | 36 | Note: Go to the topline for full question wording. Those who said "Some" or did not give an answer are not shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted May 26-June 1, 2026. On the other hand, those in lower-income households are more likely than other groups to rely on cash. About a quarter of those who make less than $30,000 annually use it for *all or almost all* purchases. **Younger adults stand out for *never* using cash.** About half of adults under 30 (51%) say they don’t use cash for any of their purchases in a typical week. This drops to 46% of those 30 to 49 years old and further to 37% of those 50 to 64. Those 65 and older are the least likely to say they never use cash. ### Adults under 50 are still more likely than older adults to go cashless *% of U.S. adults who say they make none of their purchases in a typical week using cash* | | Ages 18-29 | 30-49 | 50-64 | 65+ | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2015 | 29 | 28 | 20 | 19 | | 2018 | 34 | 35 | 22 | 25 | | 2022 | 46 | 49 | 34 | 33 | | 2026 | 51 | 46 | 37 | 33 | Note: Go to the topline for full question wording. Those who did not give an answer or gave other responses are not shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted May 26-June 1, 2026. #### How common is carrying cash today? Even as Americans overall move toward cashless payments, **nearly half of Americans (46%) say they carry cash on them always or most of the time.** About one-in-five U.S. adults say they have cash on them sometimes. And 32% say they rarely or never do. ### Nearly half of U.S. adults say they carry cash always or most of the time, but young adults are far less likely *% of U.S. adults who say they carry physical cash with them ...* | | Group | Always/Most of the time | Sometimes | Rarely/Never | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | U.S. adults | All | 46 | 22 | 32 | | Ages 18-29 | Ages | 29 | 26 | 45 | | 30-49 | Ages | 35 | 25 | 40 | | 50-64 | Ages | 53 | 20 | 27 | | 65+ | Ages | 69 | 16 | 14 | Note: Those who did not give an answer are not shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted May 26-June 1, 2026. But having cash on hand doesn’t always mean it’s being used. Indeed, 26% of Americans who carry cash always or most of the time say they don’t use it for any of their typical purchases. - **Older adults are far more likely to say they frequently have cash on them.** While a large majority of those 65 and older say this, that drops to about three-in-ten adults under 30. - **The shares who often carry cash are fairly similar across household incomes,** even though lower-income Americans are more likely to use it. Half of Americans in households that make $100,000 or more say they carry cash all or most of the time. For those in households who earn less, this figure is between 41% and 44%. *Note: Here are the [questions we used for this analysis](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/08/SR_26.08.26_cashless_questionnaire.pdf), the [topline](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/08/SR_26.08.26_cashless_topline.pdf) and the [survey methodology](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/08/SR_26.08.26_cashless_methodology.pdf).*