How Much Debt Does the Average American Have? (2026)

Households in the United States owed $18.77 trillion in the second quarter of 2026, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's quarterly household debt report, released August 11, 2026. Household debt is the money people owe as individuals rather than through a business: mortgages, home equity lines, car loans, student loans, credit cards and smaller consumer loans. That total is carefully measured. It also describes nobody.

The trouble starts when that total becomes an average. The Federal Reserve Board's 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances, released October 9, 2026, found that among families carrying any debt, the median family owed $88,100. The mean was $179,100. Same families, same survey, same year, and the mean is more than twice the median, because a relatively small number of very large balances pulls the arithmetic average far above what the family in the middle owes.

That gap is why "average American debt" figures disagree so widely. Some are national totals and some are per person. Some count families or households, some count only the ones that owe anything, and they describe different years. Every figure below carries its publisher, its period and its denominator.

How much debt does the average American have?

How much debt the average American has depends on who is counted: $63,455 per person with a credit report in the second quarter of 2026 (New York Fed), a median of $88,100 and a mean of $179,100 per family with debt in 2025 (Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances), and a median of $72,100 per household with debt at the end of 2024 (U.S. Census Bureau).

Figure	What it measures	Source and period
$18.77 trillion	All household debt on consumer credit reports, added together	New York Fed, Q2 2026
$5.20 trillion	Consumer credit held by lenders, excluding loans secured by real estate	Federal Reserve G.19, August 2026 (preliminary)
$63,455	Debt per person with a credit report, including people with no balances	New York Fed, Q2 2026
$179,100 (mean)	Debt per family, among the 77.0% of families with any debt	Federal Reserve SCF, 2025 survey
$88,100 (median)	The same families, ranked instead of averaged	Federal Reserve SCF, 2025 survey
$148,100 (mean)	Debt per household, among the 72.0% of households with any debt, counting only households with total debt below the 99th percentile	Census Bureau SIPP, end of 2024
$72,100 (median)	The same households, ranked instead of averaged	Census Bureau SIPP, end of 2024

• Figure$18.77 trillion

  What it measures

  All household debt on consumer credit reports, added together

  Source and period

  New York Fed, Q2 2026

• Figure$5.20 trillion

  What it measures

  Consumer credit held by lenders, excluding loans secured by real estate

  Source and period

  Federal Reserve G.19, August 2026 (preliminary)

• Figure$63,455

  What it measures

  Debt per person with a credit report, including people with no balances

  Source and period

  New York Fed, Q2 2026

• Figure$179,100 (mean)

  What it measures

  Debt per family, among the 77.0% of families with any debt

  Source and period

  Federal Reserve SCF, 2025 survey

• Figure$88,100 (median)

  What it measures

  The same families, ranked instead of averaged

  Source and period

  Federal Reserve SCF, 2025 survey

• Figure$148,100 (mean)

  What it measures

  Debt per household, among the 72.0% of households with any debt, counting only households with total debt below the 99th percentile

  Source and period

  Census Bureau SIPP, end of 2024

• Figure$72,100 (median)

  What it measures

  The same households, ranked instead of averaged

  Source and period

  Census Bureau SIPP, end of 2024

Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit, 2026:Q2 (August 2026); Federal Reserve G.19 (October 7, 2026); Federal Reserve Board, Changes in U.S. Family Finances from 2022 to 2025 (October 2026); U.S. Census Bureau, Wealth, Asset Ownership, and Debt of Households Detailed Tables: 2024 (July 2026). SCF figures are in 2025 dollars.

Three differences account for much of the spread in that table, on top of the mean-versus-median gap.

Who is in the denominator. The New York Fed's $63,455 divides total debt by everyone in its sample, a nationally representative sample of people with a Social Security number and a credit report, usually aged 19 and over. Someone with a credit file and no balances still counts, which pulls the figure down. The survey figures count only units that owe something: 77.0% of families in the 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances, and 72.0% of households in the Census Bureau's data for 2024.

What counts as one unit. The New York Fed measures individuals and assigns half of every joint account to each borrower. The Census Bureau measures households, meaning everyone sharing one housing unit. The Survey of Consumer Finances measures a household's "primary economic unit": the economically dominant single person or couple, plus anyone financially interdependent with them.

When, and in what dollars. The New York Fed figures are for the second quarter of 2026, in current dollars. Most Survey of Consumer Finances interviews took place between April and December 2025, with about one-seventh conducted between January and May 2026, and the Fed states every dollar figure in 2025 dollars. The Census figures describe balances at the end of 2024.

How much total household debt is there in the United States?

Total U.S. household debt was $18.77 trillion in the second quarter of 2026, according to the New York Fed: $13 billion (0.1%) lower than in the first quarter and $383 billion higher than a year earlier.

The quarterly dip is mostly a reporting artifact. Mortgage balances fell $74 billion, and the New York Fed's report says the decline "was mostly due to a servicer transfer gap in the reporting of mortgages and otherwise it would have stayed flat." Every type of debt other than mortgages and student loans grew in the quarter.

Over a longer stretch, the direction is plain. Household debt is up $4.6 trillion since the end of 2019. Its previous peak was $12.68 trillion, in the third quarter of 2008; it then fell to $11.15 trillion by the second quarter of 2013, and it has grown every year since when measured fourth quarter to fourth quarter.

2007201020132016201920222025

Federal Reserve Bank of New York Consumer Credit Panel/Equifax, Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit, 2026:Q2 data file. Nominal dollars. The second quarter of 2026 stood at $18.77 trillion.

At the end of each of those years the total stood at $12.37 trillion in 2007, $11.71 trillion in 2010, $11.52 trillion in 2013, $12.58 trillion in 2016, $14.15 trillion in 2019, $16.90 trillion in 2022 and $18.78 trillion in 2025. These are nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.

A second national total comes from the lender side, and it is much smaller because it measures something narrower. The Federal Reserve Board's G.19 consumer credit release put consumer credit outstanding at $5.20 trillion in August 2026, seasonally adjusted: $1.35 trillion revolving and $3.84 trillion nonrevolving. The G.19 counts credit "extended to individuals for household, family, and other personal expenditures, excluding loans secured by real estate," so mortgages and home equity lines are not in it at all. In August, revolving credit shrank at a 4.2% annual rate while nonrevolving credit grew at 4.1%.

What kinds of debt make up American household debt?

Mortgages make up 70% of American household debt: $13.117 trillion of the $18.77 trillion households owed in the second quarter of 2026, according to the New York Fed. Auto loans and student loans are 9% each, credit cards 7%, other consumer loans 3% and home equity lines of credit 2%.

Mortgages

$13.117T

Auto loans

$1.713T

Student loans

$1.651T

Credit cards

$1.263T

Other (retail cards, consumer finance loans)

$568B

Home equity lines of credit

$459B

Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit, 2026:Q2, press release of August 11, 2026.

70%

of U.S. household debt is mortgage debt

Home equity lines of credit are another 2%. Auto loans and student loans are 9% each, credit cards 7% and other consumer loans 3%.

Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit, 2026:Q2, page 3 (shares as labeled by the New York Fed).

Type of debt	Balance	Change since Q1 2026	Change since Q2 2025	Share of total
Mortgages	$13.117 trillion	Down $74 billion	Up $182 billion	70%
Auto loans	$1.713 trillion	Up $28 billion	Up $58 billion	9%
Student loans	$1.651 trillion	Down $7 billion	Up $13 billion	9%
Credit cards	$1.263 trillion	Up $21 billion	Up $54 billion	7%
Other (retail cards, consumer finance loans)	$568 billion	Up $6 billion	Up $28 billion	3%
Home equity lines of credit	$459 billion	Up $13 billion	Up $48 billion	2%
All household debt	$18.771 trillion	Down $13 billion	Up $383 billion	100%

• Type of debtMortgages

  Balance

  $13.117 trillion

  Change since Q1 2026

  Down $74 billion

  Change since Q2 2025

  Up $182 billion

  Share of total

  70%

• Type of debtAuto loans

  Balance

  $1.713 trillion

  Change since Q1 2026

  Up $28 billion

  Change since Q2 2025

  Up $58 billion

  Share of total

  9%

• Type of debtStudent loans

  Balance

  $1.651 trillion

  Change since Q1 2026

  Down $7 billion

  Change since Q2 2025

  Up $13 billion

  Share of total

  9%

• Type of debtCredit cards

  Balance

  $1.263 trillion

  Change since Q1 2026

  Up $21 billion

  Change since Q2 2025

  Up $54 billion

  Share of total

  7%

• Type of debtOther (retail cards, consumer finance loans)

  Balance

  $568 billion

  Change since Q1 2026

  Up $6 billion

  Change since Q2 2025

  Up $28 billion

  Share of total

  3%

• Type of debtHome equity lines of credit

  Balance

  $459 billion

  Change since Q1 2026

  Up $13 billion

  Change since Q2 2025

  Up $48 billion

  Share of total

  2%

• Type of debtAll household debt

  Balance

  $18.771 trillion

  Change since Q1 2026

  Down $13 billion

  Change since Q2 2025

  Up $383 billion

  Share of total

  100%

Federal Reserve Bank of New York, press release of August 11, 2026, and Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit, 2026:Q2. Shares are the New York Fed's rounded chart labels.

The New York Fed also publishes the same breakdown per person. For each person with a credit report in the second quarter of 2026, it came to $44,340 of mortgage debt, $5,790 of auto loans, $5,580 of student loans, $4,270 of credit card debt, $1,920 of other debt and $1,550 on home equity lines, $63,455 in all, with each part rounded to the nearest $10.

What the credit-report total leaves out matters as much as what it includes. The New York Fed's data dictionary excludes medical accounts, authorized-user accounts, disputed accounts, accounts in bankruptcy and accounts no lender has reported on in the last three months. Store credit cards are not in its credit card line either: the New York Fed counts retail cards in "Other," together with consumer finance loans such as personal loans. Store cards also follow their own path once they go unpaid, covered in store card debt in collections, and if a personal loan is the problem, settling a personal loan you can't repay covers that category.

Surveys show how common each kind of debt is rather than how big. In the 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances, the Fed says credit card debt remained the most widely held type: 44.7% of families carried a balance after their last payment. Another 42.0% had debt secured by their home, 32.1% a vehicle loan, 24.2% an "other installment loan" and 20.0% student debt. The other-installment group grew by 5.7 percentage points from 2022, and the Fed attributes nearly all of that growth to buy now, pay later plans: 12% of families had a BNPL balance in 2025, up from 7% in 2022, with a median balance of $400. What happens when one of those plans goes unpaid is covered in buy now, pay later debt.

What is the median household debt in the U.S.?

The median U.S. household with debt owed $72,100 at the end of 2024, according to the Census Bureau's Survey of Income and Program Participation, published in July 2026. The mean for the same households was $148,100, and the Bureau computes that mean only over households whose total debt was below the 99th percentile.

The Census detailed tables show the shape behind the median. At the end of 2024, 28.9% of households owed nothing at all. At the other end, 15.7% owed between $100,000 and $249,999, 11.2% owed $250,000 to $499,999, and 4.9% owed $500,000 or more. A distribution like that, with a large group at zero and a long tail of six-figure balances, is exactly the kind where a mean misleads.

The skew shows up inside each type of debt too. Among households with medical debt, the median owed $2,000 and the mean owed $10,120. Among households with credit card debt, the median was $5,000 and the mean $9,920. Among households with a home loan, the median was $170,000 and the mean $203,200.

The Survey of Consumer Finances puts the median higher, at $88,100 for families with debt in 2025. The two surveys differ in year, in unit (household against primary economic unit) and in design: the Fed's survey adds a second sample, drawn from tax-return records, to reach more wealthy families. Neither median is the correct one. Each is correct for its own definition and date, which is why a figure quoted without both is half a statistic.

How much unsecured debt does the average household have?

Just over half of U.S. households, 53.5%, carried unsecured debt in 2024, and the median among them owed $10,000, according to the Census Bureau. Unsecured debt is debt with no collateral behind it: no house or car a lender can take back.

Type of unsecured debt	Share of households	Median, households with it	Mean, households with it
Any unsecured debt	53.5%	$10,000	$30,030
Credit card and store bills	40.0%	$5,000	$9,920
Student loans and education costs	17.8%	$23,800	$48,510
Medical debt	16.0%	$2,000	$10,120
Other unsecured debt	9.4%	$7,000	$19,940

• Type of unsecured debtAny unsecured debt

  Share of households

  53.5%

  Median, households with it

  $10,000

  Mean, households with it

  $30,030

• Type of unsecured debtCredit card and store bills

  Share of households

  40.0%

  Median, households with it

  $5,000

  Mean, households with it

  $9,920

• Type of unsecured debtStudent loans and education costs

  Share of households

  17.8%

  Median, households with it

  $23,800

  Mean, households with it

  $48,510

• Type of unsecured debtMedical debt

  Share of households

  16.0%

  Median, households with it

  $2,000

  Mean, households with it

  $10,120

• Type of unsecured debtOther unsecured debt

  Share of households

  9.4%

  Median, households with it

  $7,000

  Mean, households with it

  $19,940

U.S. Census Bureau, Wealth of Households: 2024 (July 2026) and Wealth, Asset Ownership, and Debt of Households Detailed Tables: 2024, Tables 1, 2 and 4. Means count only households with total debt below the 99th percentile.

Student loans are the biggest piece. The Census Bureau's Wealth of Households: 2024 report found they accounted for about 52% of all unsecured debt held by households, even though only 17.8% of households had any. Credit card and store balances are the most common unsecured debt, held by 40.0% of households. Medical debt has its own set of numbers, from collections to credit reporting rules, in medical debt statistics for 2026.

Unsecured debt is also the only kind Felix negotiates, and not all of it: credit cards, store cards, personal loans, medical bills, private student loans and accounts already with a collector are in scope, while federal student loans are not.

How much debt do Americans have by age?

Families headed by someone aged 45 to 54 owe the most: a median of $160,600 and a mean of $241,200 among families with debt in 2025, according to the Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances. Debt is most common one bracket earlier, among families headed by someone aged 35 to 44, 88.4% of whom owed something.

Age	Families with any debt	Median debt, families with debt	Mean debt, families with debt
Under 35	80.3%	$52,000	$131,500
35 to 44	88.4%	$137,400	$223,300
45 to 54	85.8%	$160,600	$241,200
55 to 64	81.4%	$101,200	$198,000
65 to 74	67.7%	$53,700	$131,400
75 or older	52.2%	$32,300	$104,600
All families	77.0%	$88,100	$179,100

• AgeUnder 35

  Families with any debt

  80.3%

  Median debt, families with debt

  $52,000

  Mean debt, families with debt

  $131,500

• Age35 to 44

  Families with any debt

  88.4%

  Median debt, families with debt

  $137,400

  Mean debt, families with debt

  $223,300

• Age45 to 54

  Families with any debt

  85.8%

  Median debt, families with debt

  $160,600

  Mean debt, families with debt

  $241,200

• Age55 to 64

  Families with any debt

  81.4%

  Median debt, families with debt

  $101,200

  Mean debt, families with debt

  $198,000

• Age65 to 74

  Families with any debt

  67.7%

  Median debt, families with debt

  $53,700

  Mean debt, families with debt

  $131,400

• Age75 or older

  Families with any debt

  52.2%

  Median debt, families with debt

  $32,300

  Mean debt, families with debt

  $104,600

• AgeAll families

  Families with any debt

  77.0%

  Median debt, families with debt

  $88,100

  Mean debt, families with debt

  $179,100

Federal Reserve Board, Survey of Consumer Finances 2025, historical tables based on internal data, table 13, in 2025 dollars (October 2026). The Fed cautions that the means have not been reviewed for robustness and may be sensitive to outliers.

Two details in that table cut against the usual story. Young families are not the most indebted: the median for families under 35 was $52,000, less than half the figure at 35 to 44. And the share of young families with any debt fell, from 86.1% in the 2022 survey to 80.3% in 2025, while the share at 55 to 64 rose from 77.2% to 81.4%. Debt in retirement is common too: 52.2% of families headed by someone 75 or older owed something.

The New York Fed's credit-report data gives a similar picture in aggregate. In the second quarter of 2026, people in their forties held $4.93 trillion of household debt, the most of any age group, and people in their fifties held $4.13 trillion. People aged 18 to 29 held $1.10 trillion. Student loans are the exception to the middle-age peak: people in their thirties held $522.7 billion of them, more than any other age group.

The Census Bureau's household data puts the peak a decade earlier than the Fed's family data, with a median of $128,000 for householders aged 35 to 44 at the end of 2024, against $107,500 at 45 to 54. Two careful surveys, two different peaks: a reminder that "by age" figures depend on whose age is being measured and when.

How much debt does each generation have?

Millennial households carry the most debt of any generation: a median of $118,000 among households with debt at the end of 2024, according to the Census Bureau, which defines millennials as people born from 1981 to 1996. Generation X households followed at $100,000.

Generation (birth years)	Households with any debt	Median debt, households with debt	Mean debt, households with debt
Generation Z (1997 to 2012)	72.5%	$28,000	$78,940
Millennials (1981 to 1996)	82.0%	$118,000	$182,500
Generation X (1965 to 1980)	81.8%	$100,000	$173,100
Baby boomers (1946 to 1964)	64.0%	$44,200	$111,700
Silent Generation (1928 to 1945)	37.2%	$15,000	$70,290
All households	72.0%	$72,100	$148,100

• Generation (birth years)Generation Z (1997 to 2012)

  Households with any debt

  72.5%

  Median debt, households with debt

  $28,000

  Mean debt, households with debt

  $78,940

• Generation (birth years)Millennials (1981 to 1996)

  Households with any debt

  82.0%

  Median debt, households with debt

  $118,000

  Mean debt, households with debt

  $182,500

• Generation (birth years)Generation X (1965 to 1980)

  Households with any debt

  81.8%

  Median debt, households with debt

  $100,000

  Mean debt, households with debt

  $173,100

• Generation (birth years)Baby boomers (1946 to 1964)

  Households with any debt

  64.0%

  Median debt, households with debt

  $44,200

  Mean debt, households with debt

  $111,700

• Generation (birth years)Silent Generation (1928 to 1945)

  Households with any debt

  37.2%

  Median debt, households with debt

  $15,000

  Mean debt, households with debt

  $70,290

• Generation (birth years)All households

  Households with any debt

  72.0%

  Median debt, households with debt

  $72,100

  Mean debt, households with debt

  $148,100

U.S. Census Bureau, Wealth, Asset Ownership, and Debt of Households Detailed Tables: 2024, Tables 1, 2 and 4 (released July 15, 2026). Generation is the householder's, defined by the Census Bureau's birth-year ranges. Means count only households with total debt below the 99th percentile.

More Generation Z households held unsecured debt than secured debt: 61.5% held unsecured debt, against 37.8% with any secured debt and only 16.7% with a home loan, and 37.2% carried student loans, the highest share of any generation in the Census data. At the other end, 64.0% of baby boomer households still owed something.

A generation table is an age table with labels attached, and everyone under each label gets a year older every year, so a rising number can mean a generation is aging into mortgages as easily as it means one is borrowing more. Compare a generation table with an age table from the same source before reading a trend into it.

How does household debt change with income?

Families with higher incomes owe more in dollars, while families in the bottom fifth of incomes are the least likely to owe anything: 53.5% of them held debt in 2025, at a median of $11,000, according to the Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances.

Income percentile	Families with any debt	Median debt, families with debt	Mean debt, families with debt
Bottom 20%	53.5%	$11,000	$42,200
20th to 39.9th	78.2%	$25,400	$68,200
40th to 59.9th	83.0%	$83,000	$119,200
60th to 79.9th	86.3%	$174,200	$194,700
80th to 89.9th	88.8%	$269,200	$283,900
Top 10%	78.7%	$417,900	$559,800

• Income percentileBottom 20%

  Families with any debt

  53.5%

  Median debt, families with debt

  $11,000

  Mean debt, families with debt

  $42,200

• Income percentile20th to 39.9th

  Families with any debt

  78.2%

  Median debt, families with debt

  $25,400

  Mean debt, families with debt

  $68,200

• Income percentile40th to 59.9th

  Families with any debt

  83.0%

  Median debt, families with debt

  $83,000

  Mean debt, families with debt

  $119,200

• Income percentile60th to 79.9th

  Families with any debt

  86.3%

  Median debt, families with debt

  $174,200

  Mean debt, families with debt

  $194,700

• Income percentile80th to 89.9th

  Families with any debt

  88.8%

  Median debt, families with debt

  $269,200

  Mean debt, families with debt

  $283,900

• Income percentileTop 10%

  Families with any debt

  78.7%

  Median debt, families with debt

  $417,900

  Mean debt, families with debt

  $559,800

Federal Reserve Board, Survey of Consumer Finances 2025, historical tables based on internal data, table 13, in 2025 dollars (October 2026). The Fed cautions that the means may be sensitive to outliers.

Debt is most common in the upper-middle of the income distribution, where 88.8% of families owe something, and it falls off at both ends. The bottom fifth's lower rate can reflect access to credit as well as choice, since a family that can't qualify for a mortgage or a card can't carry a balance on one. Dollar size is the wrong measure of strain here. An $11,000 balance against a bottom-fifth income can weigh more than a $417,900 debt load in the top tenth, which is why the payment-to-income figures further down this page say more than the balances do.

Which states have the most household debt per person?

Colorado had the most household debt per person of any state at the end of 2025, $92,690, and West Virginia the least, $37,850, according to the New York Fed's state-level household debt statistics, published February 2026. The District of Columbia was higher than any state at $102,400, and the file's national figure was $63,200. That end-of-2025 figure comes from a separate annual file, so it differs from the quarterly report's $63,455 for the second quarter of 2026.

• Under $45,000
• $45,000 to $54,999
• $55,000 to $64,999
• $65,000 to $79,999
• $80,000 and up

Federal Reserve Bank of New York, State Level Household Debt Statistics 2003-2025, published February 2026. Total debt per person among residents aged 18 and over with an Equifax credit file. All 50 states and the District of Columbia.

State	Debt per person	Rank among states
District of Columbia	$102,400	Not ranked (not a state)
Colorado	$92,690	1
California	$87,850	2
Washington	$85,880	3
Hawaii	$83,480	4
Utah	$83,350	5
Maryland	$81,390	6
Massachusetts	$77,400	7
Virginia	$77,060	8
Nevada	$71,260	9
Arizona	$70,850	10
Oregon	$69,640	11
New Jersey	$69,550	12
Alaska	$69,460	13
Idaho	$69,450	14
Connecticut	$67,530	15
New Hampshire	$66,480	16
Delaware	$66,170	17
Minnesota	$63,860	18
Georgia	$62,070	19
Florida	$61,890	20
North Carolina	$61,070	21
Rhode Island	$60,090	22
Texas	$60,020	23
South Carolina	$59,460	24
New York	$59,420	25
Montana	$58,390	26
Wyoming	$57,120	27
Tennessee	$56,690	28
Illinois	$54,050	29
Maine	$53,360	30
North Dakota	$53,300	31
Vermont	$52,910	32
South Dakota	$52,270	33
Pennsylvania	$50,360	34
Nebraska	$49,530	35
Missouri	$49,420	36
Indiana	$49,330	37
New Mexico	$49,260	38
Wisconsin	$49,210	39
Alabama	$48,910	40
Louisiana	$48,250	41
Michigan	$48,050	42
Iowa	$47,410	43
Ohio	$46,780	44
Kansas	$46,720	45
Oklahoma	$43,170	46
Kentucky	$43,160	47
Arkansas	$43,090	48
Mississippi	$41,450	49
West Virginia	$37,850	50
United States	$63,200	National figure

• StateDistrict of Columbia

  Debt per person

  $102,400

  Rank among states

  Not ranked (not a state)

• StateColorado

  Debt per person

  $92,690

  Rank among states

  1

• StateCalifornia

  Debt per person

  $87,850

  Rank among states

  2

• StateWashington

  Debt per person

  $85,880

  Rank among states

  3

• StateHawaii

  Debt per person

  $83,480

  Rank among states

  4

• StateUtah

  Debt per person

  $83,350

  Rank among states

  5

• StateMaryland

  Debt per person

  $81,390

  Rank among states

  6

• StateMassachusetts

  Debt per person

  $77,400

  Rank among states

  7

• StateVirginia

  Debt per person

  $77,060

  Rank among states

  8

• StateNevada

  Debt per person

  $71,260

  Rank among states

  9

• StateArizona

  Debt per person

  $70,850

  Rank among states

  10

• StateOregon

  Debt per person

  $69,640

  Rank among states

  11

• StateNew Jersey

  Debt per person

  $69,550

  Rank among states

  12

• StateAlaska

  Debt per person

  $69,460

  Rank among states

  13

• StateIdaho

  Debt per person

  $69,450

  Rank among states

  14

• StateConnecticut

  Debt per person

  $67,530

  Rank among states

  15

• StateNew Hampshire

  Debt per person

  $66,480

  Rank among states

  16

• StateDelaware

  Debt per person

  $66,170

  Rank among states

  17

• StateMinnesota

  Debt per person

  $63,860

  Rank among states

  18

• StateGeorgia

  Debt per person

  $62,070

  Rank among states

  19

• StateFlorida

  Debt per person

  $61,890

  Rank among states

  20

• StateNorth Carolina

  Debt per person

  $61,070

  Rank among states

  21

• StateRhode Island

  Debt per person

  $60,090

  Rank among states

  22

• StateTexas

  Debt per person

  $60,020

  Rank among states

  23

• StateSouth Carolina

  Debt per person

  $59,460

  Rank among states

  24

• StateNew York

  Debt per person

  $59,420

  Rank among states

  25

• StateMontana

  Debt per person

  $58,390

  Rank among states

  26

• StateWyoming

  Debt per person

  $57,120

  Rank among states

  27

• StateTennessee

  Debt per person

  $56,690

  Rank among states

  28

• StateIllinois

  Debt per person

  $54,050

  Rank among states

  29

• StateMaine

  Debt per person

  $53,360

  Rank among states

  30

• StateNorth Dakota

  Debt per person

  $53,300

  Rank among states

  31

• StateVermont

  Debt per person

  $52,910

  Rank among states

  32

• StateSouth Dakota

  Debt per person

  $52,270

  Rank among states

  33

• StatePennsylvania

  Debt per person

  $50,360

  Rank among states

  34

• StateNebraska

  Debt per person

  $49,530

  Rank among states

  35

• StateMissouri

  Debt per person

  $49,420

  Rank among states

  36

• StateIndiana

  Debt per person

  $49,330

  Rank among states

  37

• StateNew Mexico

  Debt per person

  $49,260

  Rank among states

  38

• StateWisconsin

  Debt per person

  $49,210

  Rank among states

  39

• StateAlabama

  Debt per person

  $48,910

  Rank among states

  40

• StateLouisiana

  Debt per person

  $48,250

  Rank among states

  41

• StateMichigan

  Debt per person

  $48,050

  Rank among states

  42

• StateIowa

  Debt per person

  $47,410

  Rank among states

  43

• StateOhio

  Debt per person

  $46,780

  Rank among states

  44

• StateKansas

  Debt per person

  $46,720

  Rank among states

  45

• StateOklahoma

  Debt per person

  $43,170

  Rank among states

  46

• StateKentucky

  Debt per person

  $43,160

  Rank among states

  47

• StateArkansas

  Debt per person

  $43,090

  Rank among states

  48

• StateMississippi

  Debt per person

  $41,450

  Rank among states

  49

• StateWest Virginia

  Debt per person

  $37,850

  Rank among states

  50

• StateUnited States

  Debt per person

  $63,200

  Rank among states

  National figure

Federal Reserve Bank of New York, State Level Household Debt Statistics 2003-2025 (February 2026), total debt balance per capita, Q4 2025. The New York Fed notes these state figures are subject to sampling variation and may not match its quarterly report.

Mortgages explain most of the spread. The same file puts mortgage debt at $72,210 per person in Colorado and $20,770 in West Virginia, against $44,300 nationally. Car loans run the other way: West Virginia's $6,650 of auto debt per person is higher than Colorado's $5,340, and Mississippi's $6,680 is higher than both. A high-debt state on this map is mostly a high-mortgage state, and a low one is not necessarily a state where people borrow less for everything else.

Two cautions. These are per-person figures across everyone with a credit file, so a state where more people own their homes outright or carry no balances posts a lower number without its borrowers owing less. And neighbors in the ranking are close enough that sampling variation can reorder them: Oklahoma ($43,170), Kentucky ($43,160) and Arkansas ($43,090) are effectively tied.

How much student loan debt do Americans have?

Americans owed $1.651 trillion in student loans in the second quarter of 2026, according to the New York Fed's credit-report data, and 10.6% of that balance was 90 or more days delinquent, up from 10.3% in the first quarter.

The federal government's own count, taken from its loan records rather than from credit files, is larger. Federal Student Aid reported in September 2026 that 42.3 million recipients held federal student loans totaling more than $1.7 trillion, in data through June 30, 2026. More than 9.3 million recipients were in default, owing $234 billion, and among loans in active repayment, 15.7% of the balance was more than 30 days delinquent, against 12.7% in December 2019. The G.19's student loan memo line, which covers federal loans and private student loans without a government guarantee, put the total at $1.86 trillion in the second quarter of 2026.

Households tell the story from the other side. In the 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances, 20.0% of families had student debt, down from 21.8% in 2022, with a median balance of $25,600 and a mean of $43,000. In the Fed's 2025 survey of adults, 23% of adults with student loans reported recent difficulty making their payments.

Private student loans are the ones negotiated much like a credit card. Federal loans have their own repayment, forgiveness and collection rules under federal law, administered by the Department of Education, and Felix doesn't work on them. If a private loan from a bank or online lender is the problem, settling private student loans explains how that negotiation differs.

How much do Americans owe on car loans and credit cards?

Americans owed $1.713 trillion on auto loans and $1.263 trillion on credit cards in the second quarter of 2026, according to the New York Fed, up $28 billion and $21 billion in the quarter.

Car loans. New auto loans worth $211 billion appeared on credit reports in the second quarter, and 5.49% of auto balances were 90 or more days delinquent. In the 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances, 32.1% of families had a vehicle loan, with a median balance of $17,000 and a mean of $23,100. A car loan is secured by the car, so falling behind puts the car itself at risk, which makes it a different negotiation from an unsecured card.

Credit cards. Card balances were $1.263 trillion on the New York Fed's count, which revised its first-quarter figure down to $1.242 trillion in the same release. The G.19 put revolving credit at $1.35 trillion in August 2026, and commercial banks charged 22.36% on card accounts that were assessed interest. In the 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances, 44.7% of families carried a card balance after their last payment, at a median of $3,100; the mean of $8,000 was $1,300 higher than in 2022 after adjusting for inflation. The full set of card numbers, from APRs to minimum-payment math, is in credit card debt statistics for 2026. If you are deciding whether to keep paying at all, what happens if you stop paying your credit cards lays out the sequence, and credit card debt forgiveness separates what is real from what is advertised.

How many Americans are behind on their debt payments?

About 4.7% of U.S. household debt was in some stage of delinquency at the end of June 2026, according to the New York Fed, and 19.6% of all families in the Federal Reserve's 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances reported having been behind on a loan payment at some point in the previous year. The New York Fed's figure was 0.1 percentage point lower than in the previous quarter, and the share of balances newly falling 90 or more days behind was highest for student loans and credit cards.

Type of debt	Share of balance 90+ days late	Newly 90+ days late, Q2 2025	Newly 90+ days late, Q2 2026
Mortgages	0.99%	1.29%	1.52%
Home equity lines of credit	0.99%	1.15%	1.15%
Auto loans	5.49%	2.93%	3.00%
Credit cards	12.92%	6.93%	6.97%
Student loans	10.6%	12.88%	7.83%
Other	9.61%	5.42%	5.19%
All household debt	3.31%	2.91%	2.57%

• Type of debtMortgages

  Share of balance 90+ days late

  0.99%

  Newly 90+ days late, Q2 2025

  1.29%

  Newly 90+ days late, Q2 2026

  1.52%

• Type of debtHome equity lines of credit

  Share of balance 90+ days late

  0.99%

  Newly 90+ days late, Q2 2025

  1.15%

  Newly 90+ days late, Q2 2026

  1.15%

• Type of debtAuto loans

  Share of balance 90+ days late

  5.49%

  Newly 90+ days late, Q2 2025

  2.93%

  Newly 90+ days late, Q2 2026

  3.00%

• Type of debtCredit cards

  Share of balance 90+ days late

  12.92%

  Newly 90+ days late, Q2 2025

  6.93%

  Newly 90+ days late, Q2 2026

  6.97%

• Type of debtStudent loans

  Share of balance 90+ days late

  10.6%

  Newly 90+ days late, Q2 2025

  12.88%

  Newly 90+ days late, Q2 2026

  7.83%

• Type of debtOther

  Share of balance 90+ days late

  9.61%

  Newly 90+ days late, Q2 2025

  5.42%

  Newly 90+ days late, Q2 2026

  5.19%

• Type of debtAll household debt

  Share of balance 90+ days late

  3.31%

  Newly 90+ days late, Q2 2025

  2.91%

  Newly 90+ days late, Q2 2026

  2.57%

Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit, 2026:Q2, data for page 12, and press release of August 11, 2026. 'Newly 90+ days late' is the annualized share of balances transitioning into serious delinquency.

The two kinds of number in that table measure different things. The first column is a stock: everything 90 or more days late, including accounts already charged off and marked severely derogatory. The other two are flows: how much of the balance that was not seriously late a quarter earlier became so, at an annual rate. The student loan flow fell from 12.88% to 7.83%, and the New York Fed's release treats student loans as the exception, citing "the continued impact of the re-reporting of defaulted student debt causing some distortions."

"Delinquency rates across most products have held steady over the past two years," said Joelle Scally of the New York Fed in the August release. "Still, new delinquencies for auto loans and credit cards remain at elevated levels, a trend we'll continue to monitor."

The family survey tells a harsher story than the credit files. The Survey of Consumer Finances asks only families with debt whether they fell behind on any loan payment in the prior year, but the Fed reports the yes answers as a share of all families: 19.6% in 2025, against 12.2% in 2022, with 8.2% two months or more behind, up from 4.9%. Among families with debt alone, the share 60 or more days behind was 10.7%, up from 6.3%, in the Fed's historical tables. That 19.6% is the highest in the five surveys the Fed tabulates back to 2013.

The end of the process shows up on credit reports too. About 137,000 consumers had a bankruptcy notation added to their credit reports in the second quarter of 2026, about 55,000 had a new foreclosure, and 4.9% of consumers had a third-party collection account on file. How a missed payment becomes a charge-off and then a collection is set out in charge-off versus collection, the collection industry's own numbers are in debt collection statistics for 2026, and bankruptcy compared with settlement covers the legal route, best decided with a bankruptcy lawyer or legal aid. Before an account gets that far, many lenders run hardship programs, and asking costs nothing.

How much of their income do Americans spend on debt payments?

American households spent 11.11% of their disposable income on required debt payments in the second quarter of 2026, according to the Federal Reserve Board's household debt service ratio, released September 22, 2026: 5.83% on mortgages and 5.28% on consumer debt.

That is below the 11.73% of the fourth quarter of 2019 and far below the 15.85% of the fourth quarter of 2007, the highest reading in the current series, which begins in 2005. The ratio adds up scheduled payments in credit bureau data, counting the minimum payment on credit cards, and divides them by disposable personal income from the national accounts.

The survey measures are less reassuring. In the 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances, total debt payments came to 11.9% of total family income, up from 9.9% in 2022. The median family with debt spent 15.4% of its before-tax income on debt payments, up from 13.4%, and 8.6% of all families had debt payments above 40% of income, up from 6.5% in 2022 and above the 8.2% of 2013. The Fed's own appendix explains why the two kinds of measure differ: the survey asks families what they pay, covers debts from every source and divides by before-tax income, while the debt service ratio counts only debts reported to a credit bureau and divides by disposable income.

A national ratio below its 2019 level can coexist with 8.6% of all families paying more than 40% of their income toward debt. If yours is one of them, the useful questions are which bills to pay first when you can't pay everything and whether a debt management plan or a settlement fits the numbers.

How many Americans could cover a $400 emergency without borrowing?

Sixty-three percent of U.S. adults said they would cover a hypothetical $400 emergency expense entirely with cash or its equivalent (cash, savings, or a credit card paid off at the next statement), in the Federal Reserve's Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2025 report, published May 2026. That share was unchanged from the previous three years and below the 68% of 2021.

Most of the rest said they would pay some other way, most often with a credit card that carries a balance. Fifteen percent of all adults said they would put the $400 on a credit card and pay it off over time, 10% would borrow from friends or family, 7% would sell something, 3% would use a bank loan or line of credit, and 2% would use a payday loan, deposit advance or overdraft. Twelve percent said they could not pay the expense right now by any means. Respondents could pick more than one answer.

The same survey, fielded in October 2025, found 16% of adults had not paid all their bills in full the previous month; counting those who paid but had difficulty doing so, 28% struggled with bills. Fifty-five percent had a rainy-day fund that would cover three months of expenses. Fifty-nine percent faced at least one major unexpected expense in the prior year, most often a vehicle repair or replacement (30% of adults). Sixteen percent had used buy now, pay later in the prior year, and 26% of those users had paid late.

That is the link between the national totals and an ordinary month. For a household without a cushion, a car repair becomes card debt and a short paycheck becomes a late payment. When there is not enough for every bill, snowball versus avalanche when you're already behind explains why the usual payoff methods stop working and what to rank instead.

How should you read average debt statistics?

Read every average debt statistic by checking its denominator, its statistic, its source type and its date before its size. Six rules catch almost every misleading figure.

Find the denominator. Per person with a credit report, per family with debt and per household with debt are three different questions. The same economy produced $63,455, $179,100 and $148,100.

Ask whether it is a mean or a median. Debt is skewed, so the mean runs well above the median. In both the Fed's family survey and the Census household data, the mean is more than twice the median.

Separate surveys from credit files. The Survey of Consumer Finances, the Census Bureau's SIPP and the Fed's survey of adults ask people. The New York Fed's panel and the G.19 count accounts. Surveys catch debts that never reach a credit report, such as money owed to family, and can miss debts people don't report; credit files are precise about what they cover and blind to everything else, including medical accounts, which the New York Fed excludes.

Check what is excluded. The G.19 leaves out every loan secured by real estate. The New York Fed leaves out accounts in bankruptcy. The Census means count only households whose total debt is below the 99th percentile. Each exclusion moves the number.

Match the dates and the dollars. The New York Fed's latest quarter is mid-2026, the Census figures describe the end of 2024, and the Fed's survey reports 2025 interviews in 2025 dollars. Comparing an inflation-adjusted figure from one year with a nominal one from another produces a trend that doesn't exist.

Trace it to a release. Credit bureaus and personal finance companies publish their own "average debt" figures from their own files. If you cannot find the release, the table and the date behind a number, don't repeat it. Your own credit report is the one file that matters for your situation, and reading your credit report line by line shows what is on it.

If you quote a figure from this page, name the primary source and its date rather than this page, and check the original release first. Every one is linked in the sources list below. This page is a roundup of public sources, and Felix has not analyzed any data of its own for it. To cite the page itself: "How Much Debt Does the Average American Have? (2026)," Felix, October 8, 2026, updated October 15, 2026.

Where does Felix fit with household debt?

Felix negotiates unsecured debts, which are a small part of the $18.77 trillion on this page: credit cards, store cards, personal loans, medical bills, private student loans and accounts already with a collection agency or debt buyer. It doesn't negotiate mortgages, auto loans or any other secured debt, federal student loans, taxes or other government debts, utility bills, or buy now, pay later loans still held by the provider.

For each account you enroll, Felix drafts the letters to the creditor in your own voice. You read and e-sign every one, and it's mailed in your name from your own return address, so replies come to you. There is no power of attorney, and Felix negotiates by mail, never by phone. Any offer that comes back is shown to you with the numbers written out, and you decide whether to accept. If you do, you pay the creditor directly; Felix never holds your money. If court papers arrive on an account, Felix pauses the letters on it and points you to a lawyer or legal aid, and what to do first if a debt collector sues you explains why the deadline comes before everything else.

None of the averages here predicts what a creditor will accept on your account, and no creditor is obliged to settle. How to negotiate a debt settlement yourself covers the process if you'd rather do it alone, and whether to accept a collector's settlement offer and what a settlement agreement must say before you pay cover the moment an offer arrives. Checking eligibility uses a soft credit pull that doesn't affect your score; soft pulls and hard pulls explains the difference. Pricing is a subscription whose base covers up to three enrolled accounts at a time, with a smaller amount for each account after that. The FAQ covers what the service does and doesn't do, and the privacy policy explains how your credit data is handled.