McDonald’s sees sharp drop in low-income customers as price pressures bite

McDonald’s is confronting a troubling slide in its core customer base, as lower-income diners are pulling back significantly. According to the recent Yahoo Finance article, traffic among lower-income customers

has fallen by nearly double digits.

CEO Chris Kempczinski has stated that these customers are either skipping a day part like breakfast or trading down either within the menu or, eating at home.

This is especially significant because McDonald’s has long relied on value-oriented, budget-conscious households.

Now, with those same households feeling squeezed by inflation, slow wage growth and higher living costs, McDonald’s value proposition is under fresh pressure.

The chain may report stable or even modestly positive overall sales, but the underlying customer mix is shifting in a way that could threaten its long-term strength, as fewer low-income diners mean the high-volume, affordability segment is shrinking.

The cause is fairly straightforward.

The cost of inputs and menu items has risen, and many lower-income consumers are simply cutting back or choosing home alternatives rather than frequenting fast food. As Kempczinski noted, “They’re skipping a day-part like breakfast or they are trading down to eat at home.”

For McDonald’s, breakfast visits are a bellwether, and seeing a drop there signals broader consumer caution and lower discretionary spend.

What this means is McDonald’s faces a two-fold challenge, i.e. maintaining traffic and volume from the lower-income segment that built its brand, while navigating higher average transaction sizes and cost pressures.

If this lower-income segment continues shrinking, the chain’s identity as an affordable everyday choice could erode.