Rethinking Financial Status: A Comprehensive Case-Based Approach

Abstract

Financial status—the configuration of a household’s income, assets, and debts—shapes economic security, social position, influence, and opportunities for intergenerational transmission of well-being. Yet prior research typically relies on single, summed indicators of income or wealth, overlooking how distinct income sources, asset types, and debt categories combine to locate households within a multidimensional, nonhierarchical financial space. In this study, we use a case-centered clustering approach that identifies how these components coalesce into distinct financial configurations of households. Using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, we identify 10 empirically grounded financial groups that represent multiple, intersecting forms of advantage and constraint. Some households appear affluent yet carry substantial leverage, while others have modest resources but remain relatively insulated from financial risk. By analyzing households as integrated financial cases rather than as net sums of income or wealth, we find that financial well-being and vulnerability are organized in diverse, nonhierarchical patterns. The findings demonstrate the value of studying financial status as a multidimensional construct that underscores the complexity of contemporary economic life.