With days to go before the midterms, data shows the U.S. economy is doing well

GDP grew at an annual rate of 3.4% in the third quarter in the last major read on the economy ahead of the midterm elections — but many Americans continue to struggle with affordability.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/6000x3940+0+0/resize/6000x3940!/quality/85/format/webp/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7f%2F19%2F6f0f08434b579b84f05435d3bd04%2Fgettyimages-2253313407.jpg' alt='The U.S. economy grew 3.4% in the July to September quarter from a year earlier, a much faster pace of annual growth than in the second quarter. Consumer spending was one of the main drivers of growth — though many Americans continue to struggle with inflation.'/><p>GDP grew at an annual rate of 3.4% in the third quarter in the last major read on the economy ahead of the midterm elections — but many Americans continue to struggle with affordability.</p><p>(Image credit: Joe Raedle)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-6021008' />