According to a report from Pew Charitable Trusts, almost 6% of Americans nationwide have taken out a payday loan in the past 5 years. Not only this, these adults use this payday loan to cover everyday expenses, like utility payments, car payments, food, rent, or mortgage payments, instead of emergencies. 69% of payday loans are used to cover these recurring expenses, compared to 16% used for emergencies.
The report also found that people of most ages and income levels have taken out payday loans but it is concentrated around younger individuals who have low to moderate income levels totalling $40,000 a year or less. The report also found that borrowers who are more likely to take out a loan are African-American, lack a 4-year college degree, renters, or are separated or divorced. Along with this, about 75% of these borrowers go to a physical lender while the remaining quarter turn to online sources. These borrowers take out typically eight loans a year.