I’ve always understood paycheck to paycheck to describe households that don’t have a buffer. Meaning, if the paychecks suddenly stop, or a sudden large expense,

I’ve always understood paycheck to paycheck to describe households that don’t have a buffer. Meaning, if the paychecks suddenly stop, or a sudden large expense, there’s nothing to bridge the gap other than social programs. By this definition, I would imagine a very large number of US households fit the mould.