The Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey (WBNS) is a nationally representative, annual survey of adults that monitors individual and family well-being in the context of a changing safety net. 

Launched by the Urban Institute in December 2017, the WBNS has played a pivotal role in highlighting the challenges that households face in meeting basic needs such as food, housing, and health care, and provided timely information on key policy discussions before data from federal surveys become available.

More than 10,000 adults currently participate in the WBNS. Between 2017 and 2024, more than 7,500 adults ages 18 to 64 participated in each survey round. In 2025, the sample was expanded to include approximately 2,500 adults ages 65 and older. Each year, we select a random sample of adults from the KnowledgePanel, a probability-based internet panel maintained by Ipsos that includes households with and without internet access. 

The WBNS covers a broad cross-section of topics, including food security, housing, health, disability, employment, family income, safety net program participation, and family financial security. In addition to core measures tracked over time, each survey round includes new topical questions that are responsive to the rapidly changing economic and policy environment. 

More information about the survey design and content is available in the 2018 report, The Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey: A New Data Source for Monitoring the Health and Well-Being of Individuals and Families.

Core support for the Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey comes from Feeding America and the Walmart Foundation. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and RRF Foundation for Aging provide additional project support. We are grateful to them and to all our funders, who make it possible for Urban to advance its mission.