In less than a decade, the share of Americans who go “cashless” in a typical week has increased by double digits. Today, roughly 4-in-10 Americans (41 percent) say none of their purchases in a typical week are paid for using cash, up from 29 percent in 2018 and 24 percent in 2015, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.

Conversely, the portion of Americans who say that all or almost all of their purchases are paid for using cash in a typical week has steadily decreased, from 24 percent in 2015 to 18 percent in 2018 to 14 percent today. Still, roughly six-in-ten Americans (59 percent) say that in a typical week, at least some of their purchases are paid for using cash.

Americans with lower incomes continue to be more reliant on cash than those who are more affluent. Three-in-ten Americans whose household income falls below $30,000 a year say they use cash for all or almost all of their purchases in a typical week. That share drops to 20 percent among those in households earning $30,000 to $49,999 and 6 percent among those living in households earning $50,000 or more a year. 

Even so, growing shares of Americans across income groups are relying less on cash than in previous years. This is especially the case among the highest earners: roughly 6-in-10 adults whose annual household income is $100,000 or more (59 percent) say they make none of their typical weekly purchases using cash, up from 43 percent in 2018 and 36 percent in 2015.