Detroit automakers have been hit particularly hard because of the automakers' longtime reliance on gas-guzzling SUVs and big cars. Those models are seeing some of the worst sales, even with gas prices well off their July highs--currently at $1.82 per ga..

Ten spots where folks have enough money for everyday expenses, and 10 where daily budgets eat up a sizable chunk of incomes.

In Depth: America's Most And Least Family-Friendly Cities

If you are making an extra effort to unplug the cellphone charger and turn off the lights, you're not alone. Americans everywhere are sweating their daily expenses.

It's likely that none are doing so more than those in New York. There, families struggle to keep their budgets balanced and probably worry about paying for expenses like food, health care and housing more than residents of virtually any other major city in the country.
That's because New York is the least affordable metropolitan area for families in the nation. Though New Yorkers earn quite a bit compared to the rest of the country--their median income is the eighth-highest of the 40 largest Census-defined U.S. cities we surveyed--the cost of a family's most basic living expenses is nearly as high, accounting for a whopping 93% of annual pay. If the typical family throws in an occasional trip to the movie theater, music lessons for the kids or membership to a fitness center, they will soon find themselves in the red. Folks in cities with more money left over will have an easier time providing for their families. Education costs were not available and were not factored into our ranking.