
Shoppers at a mall in Miami Beach, Fla.

Shoppers at a mall in Miami Beach, Fla.

Consumers have been spending at a solid clip in recent months.


Lawson Millwood and Mackenzie Kiser, who managed to buy a house this year, worried that affordability would only worsen if they waited because of rising interest rates and prices.


New Yorkers at the lower end of the income spectrum have seen their wages stagnate, and some are working excessively to keep up. Khadijah Bethea was working up to 70 hours a week for catering companies.