Millennials haven't always been known for their financial stability — at least compared to their older counterparts. Most of them entered the working economy during the start of the Great Recession in the late 2000s, lowering their economic prospects just as they were starting careers.

But a new survey by Bankrate found they're actually the age group most comfortable with their financial situation. It also found they're saving more than other generations.

Overall, most Americans surveyed seemed optimistic about their finances, but millennials rated the highest level of comfort with their savings, debt, net worth and overall financial health.

"They are the only age group that feels more comfortable with their savings now compared to where they were a year ago," Greg McBride, Bankrate's chief financial analyst. "We've seen more of a focus on saving and less of a focus on consumption for millennials."

The survey, part of Bankrate's monthly Financial Security Index, defined millennials as Americans between ages 18 and 29. Sixty-two percent of millennials surveyed said they're saving more than 5 percent of their incomes, which is up from 42 percent last year.

While the finding may come as a surprise to some, evidence that millennials are establishing the habit of saving has been building over the last several years, McBride said.

He says the recession, which came during millennials' financially formative years, has actually helped increase their inclination toward saving. In addition, millennials feel more secure in their jobs than other generations, which probably plays a part in the savings increase, McBride said.

"Many of them have technology and social media skills employers crave," he said.

Student debt also didn't seem to be a factor holding millennials back from adding to their savings.

"Millennials that have student loan debt are more likely to be employed and employed at a higher income level than those that don't have a degree and don’t have debt," McBride said. "So in reasonable amounts, student loan debt is still a category of good debt."

The study found Americans were saving more overall, which was the good news, McBride said, as there was an increase in the percentage of Americans saving more than 10 percent of their incomes.

The bad news? "We also saw an increase in percentage of Americans not saving anything at all," he said.

Millennials' saving habits seemed to reflect the opposite. The percentage of those already saving more (between 6 and 10 percent of their income) rose by 13 percent from 2015, and the number of millennials saving the minimum (less than 5 percent) decreased by 18 percent from last year.

So what does this mean for the economy? McBride says it's complicated.

Too much consumer saving and not enough spending won't help drive the economy, which he says is 70 percent dependent on consumer spending.

"In the long run, we're all better off as Americans have more savings and less debt, and that's the transition we've been going through ever since the recession," he said. "Millennials are ahead of the curve on that front."