Amid inflation, 32 pct of Americans struggle to pay bills: CNBC

A man fuels a vehicle at a gas station in New York, the United States, Sept. 13, 2022. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua)

Persistent inflation has weighed on consumers, leaving more Americans living paycheck to paycheck.

NEW YORK, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- With prices rising nearly across the board, it's getting harder to pay for basic necessities, causing some Americans to fall behind, reported CNBC on Monday.

To that point, 32 percent of adults have paid a bill late in the past six months, according to a recent report by LendingTree, and 61 percent of them said it's because they didn't have the money on hand to cover the cost.

About 40 percent said they are less able to afford their bills compared with one year ago, the report found. Most said they fell behind on a utility bill, credit card payment or cable or internet bill.

There is no doubt persistent inflation has weighed on consumers, leaving more Americans living paycheck to paycheck, said the report.

"Life is getting more expensive by the day, and it's shrinking Americans' already tiny financial margin for error down to zero," said Matt Schulz, LendingTree's chief credit analyst.