PERSONAL LOANS/DEBT
LendingTree | Pay is climbing across the private sector, but nowhere faster than in the information sector. Data shows average weekly wages in this sector rose 9.4% between 2024 and 2025 — and half of the 10 subsectors with the biggest pay gains were in the information sector.
INSURANCE
LendingTree | Car insurance is a must-have for drivers, but it’s become one of the hardest bills to afford for many households. This LendingTree survey of 2,000 U.S. consumers shows how far the strain reaches — leading drivers to cut spending, trim coverage, skip claims and, in some cases, go without insurance.
MORTGAGE
LendingTree | Home maintenance is a financial balancing act for many Americans. According to a LendingTree survey, a third of homeowners have put off needed repairs in the past two years. Some say those delays have increased repair costs or caused further damage to their homes.
SMALL BUSINESS
LendingTree | Young businesses drove job growth in the U.S. in 2025, adding more than 1.8 million net jobs while older businesses lost nearly 1.2 million. This isn’t a new phenomenon. LendingTree’s analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Business Employment Dynamics data found that from 2016 through 2025, young businesses added more than 18.8 million net jobs, compared with a net loss of 3.0 million jobs among older businesses. The trend is widespread. Startups saw net job growth in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in 2025, while older businesses shed jobs in most states.
HEALTH
LendingTree | Where a woman lives can shape how easily she gets prenatal checkups, finds an in-network OB-GYN or delivers at a hospital with strong maternity practices — and a LendingTree analysis shows that access and quality are improving in some states while worsening in others. Using measures spanning insurance coverage, provider availability and hospital performance, LendingTree ranked 49 states (Rhode Island was excluded because of a lack of new quality data) to determine where pregnant women and those giving birth are best — and worst — served. Here’s what we found.
INSURANCE
LendingTree | Where you live might say a lot about your odds of being involved in an accident. An analysis of QuoteWizard by LendingTree insurance quote data found that accident rates vary wildly from one U.S. city to the next, with drivers in some cities facing nearly twice the national average risk. Here’s a look at which cities are most accident-prone and how to ensure you’re prepared for an accident with your car insurance.
PERSONAL LOANS/DEBT
LendingTree | Americans spent an average of $323 on lottery tickets in 2024, up 4.5% in two years, according to a LendingTree analysis of government data. Nationally, lottery spending reached $110.4 billion in 2024. Massachusetts residents were the biggest per-capita spenders on lottery tickets by far, spending an average of $904. That was 43.5% more than the average in the next highest state. However, despite the overall rise in lottery spending, states were far more likely to see per-capita lottery spending decline than increase in 2024.
AUTO
LendingTree | Getting more than one auto loan offer is good practice and could save you thousands of dollars. This LendingTree analysis finds that the gap between the lowest and highest APRs offered is wide enough to meaningfully change the total cost of an auto loan. Borrowers who choose the lowest APR offered could save an average of $3,064 over the average offered loan. For some credit tiers, the savings are even higher.
MORTGAGE
LendingTree | Homeownership has never been cheap, but keeping a house in good shape is getting noticeably pricier. This LendingTree research finds that the typical home improvement project costs about three-quarters more than it did a decade ago, even after accounting for inflation. Add in rising routine maintenance costs — especially for older homes — and it’s clear that budgeting for home upkeep is just as important as budgeting for the mortgage itself.
CREDIT CARDS
LendingTree | Fewer Americans say they’ll spend on Halloween-related purchases this year, and those who do expect to spend significantly less than last year. That’s the sobering news from LendingTree’s 2026 Halloween spending survey, which also found that nearly 1 in 4 people who plan to celebrate the holiday this year will probably take on debt to do so.
