The median household savings rate in America is zero, but after all the bills are paid, a median-income household should have $668 left over each month, according to a new Interest.com analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Baltimore has the highest savings opportunity in the nation: the metro area's median after-tax income outpaces the area's typical expenses by $2,021 per month (after accounting for both essential and discretionary expenses). NearbyWashington, D.C. ranks second with $1,664 left over. Cleveland's remainder is the third-highest ($1,294 per month) of the 18 metro areas that Interest.com studied.

Residents of one area, Phoenix, tend to spend more than they take in. The median after-tax income in greater Phoenixis $95 per month less than the area's customary expenses, the worst ranking in the Interest.com study. The Miami area is barely in positive territory ($18 per month). Boston's surplus of $240 per month is the third-lowest in the U.S.

"Many of us feel like we're living paycheck-to-paycheck because of how we choose to spend our money," says Mike Sante, Interest.com's managing editor. "It's not that we can't save. It's that we don't save. It's something we can control and change."

More information is available at:

http://www.interest.com/savings/news/saving-opportunity-study-2014/