Gen Z Isn’t Broke. They’re Smarter With Money Than You Think

They’re not just digital natives, they’re digital pragmatists. Gen Z has quietly rewritten how Americans shop, save, spend, hustle and heal, and the rest of the market is already catching up. “The Gen Z Decoder Ring,” from PYMNTS Intelligence, draws on 25,000+ consumer responses to decode the behaviors that make this generation of consumers look “different” and why those behaviors are the blueprint for what’s coming in the future.

Here’s what you’ll learn inside “The Gen Z Decoder Ring”:

Gen Z doesn’t reject institutions; they reprogram them. Discover how this generation is transforming finance, health and work through mobile-first systems and platform logic.

Side hustles, credit hacks and crypto. There’s a method to the madness. This report breaks down how this generation of consumers has a surprisingly disciplined financial strategy and what it signals for the next wave of innovation.

Digital behavior is no longer an edge case; it’s the center. Learn why this generation’s 425 digital touchpoints a month are not about screen addiction, but about seamless, system-level living.

This isn’t just about Gen Z. It’s about everyone else who follows. The shifts this generation of consumers has made, from financial habits to platform thinking, are already reshaping markets, infrastructure and consumer expectations. If you want to understand where your customers, competitors and business models are headed, this report is your decoder ring.

Download your copy of The Gen Z Decoder Ring now. Your next strategy move starts here.

More on this report

This report is based on analysis conducted by PYMNTS Intelligence using data from more than 25,000 U.S. consumers collected between Q1 2022 and Q1 2025. Drawing from multiple proprietary studies—including How the World Does Digital, Generational Pulse, Consumer Credit Economy and How People Shop and Pay—this research offers a comprehensive, longitudinal view of Gen Z behavior across commerce, health, mobility, finance and digital engagement.

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