What is the average American's credit card balance?

The average American had $5,525 in credit card debt in 2021. Credit card debt is the second largest debt source behind mortgage debt. Alaska has the most credit card debt of any state with $6,617 in 2020 and $7,089 in 2021. Iowa has the least debt, with a balance of $4,289 in 2020 and $4,587 in 2021.

What is the average American credit card debt 2022?

If we look at last year's Q3 data from Experian, we can see that the average credit card balance was $5,221 in 2021. If we add a 15% increase to that number, we see that the average credit card balance for Americans in Q3 2022 is somewhere around $6,004.

What is considered a high credit card balance?

If your total balance is more than 30% of the total credit limit, you may be in too much debt. Some experts consider it best to keep credit utilization between 1% and 10%, while anything between 11% and 30% is typically considered good.

What is a healthy amount of credit card debt?

In general, you never want your minimum credit card payments to exceed 10 percent of your net income. Net income is the amount of income you take home after taxes and other deductions. You use the net income for this ratio because that's the amount of income you have available to spend on bills and other expenses.

What is considered a lot of debt?

Debt-to-income ratio is your monthly debt obligations compared to your gross monthly income (before taxes), expressed as a percentage. A good debt-to-income ratio is less than or equal to 36%. Any debt-to-income ratio above 43% is considered to be too much debt.

What Is the Average Credit Card Debt in the US by Age

How many Americans have over 10k in credit card debt?

Although 6% may seem like a small amount, that means that based on the survey results, 14 million Americans have over $10,000 of credit card debt. Here's a look at even more jaw-dropping stats about the state of credit card debt in America.

What percentage of America is debt free?

What percentage of America is debt-free? According to that same Experian study, less than 25% of American households are debt-free. This figure may be small for a variety of reasons, particularly because of the high number of home mortgages and auto loans many Americans have.

Why is US credit card debt so high?

High inflation and high interest rates are making it harder than ever to pay down credit card debt. Since most credit cards have a variable rate, there's a direct connection to the Fed's benchmark. As the federal funds rate rises, the prime rate does, too, and credit card rates follow suit.

How much credit debt does the average American carry?

Based on location, the average credit card debt in America ranges from $4,285 to $6,617.

How many Americans carry a balance?

If you look at all credit card accounts, the American Bankers Association data shows that 40% of accounts were active and carried a balance at some point in the second quarter of 2022, 36% of accounts were active but didn't carry a balance and 24% of accounts were dormant for the quarter.

Is credit card debt ever forgiven?

Credit cards are another example of a type of debt that generally doesn't have forgiveness options. Credit card debt forgiveness is unlikely as credit card issuers tend to expect you to repay the money you borrow, and if you don't repay that money, your debt can end up in collections.

What is a good age to have your house paid off?

But if you want to live a life of financial freedom, then it's important to shed all of your debt, says Shark Tank personality Kevin O'Leary. In fact, O'Leary insists that it's a good idea to be debt-free by age 45 -- and that includes having your mortgage paid off.

What is the number 1 debt in America?

Value of household debt in the U.S. 2022, by type

Consumers in the United States had over 16 trillion dollars in debt as of the second quarter of 2022. The majority of that debt were home mortgages, at approximately 10.4 trillion U.S. dollars.

What is considered living paycheck to paycheck?

If you're living paycheck to paycheck, that means all your money comes in and goes right back out again by the end of the month.

What is the average mortgage debt in America?

So how much mortgage debt does the average American have? In their 2021 State of Credit Report, Experian reports that the average mortgage debt among Americans is $220,380. That's up from the average mortgage debt reported by Experian in 2020: $208,185.

How much does the average American have in savings?

This data is the latest available from this source but is from 2019, and some sources put average savings even higher: Northwestern Mutual's 2022 Planning & Progress Study revealed that the average amount of personal savings (not including investments) was $62,086 in 2022.

What percentage of American homes are paid off?

Some 38% of owner-occupied households in the U.S. are completely paid off, and mortgage-free homeownership is even higher among low-income families and in small cities with low housing costs, according to a new study by Construction Coverage, a Los Angeles-based construction content website.

Are 80% of Americans in debt?

Just how many Americans are in debt? According to financial experts, the percentage of Americans in debt is around 80%. 8 in 10 Americans have some form of consumer debt, and the average debt in America is $38,000 not including mortgage debt.

What to do when everything is paid off?

How long does it take the average American to pay off their house?

The average mortgage term is 30 years, but that doesn't mean you have to get a 30-year loan – or take 30 years to pay it off. While it offers one of the lowest monthly payments among the various term options, this term will likely see you pay the most in total interest if you keep it for 30 years.

Should my house be paid off before I retire?

If your mortgage rate is high, or you have an adjustable-rate mortgage that has already reset to a higher rate, it probably makes sense to pay off your remaining loan balance before you retire, says Edmisten at Next Phase.

How can I wipe my credit card debt legally?

Bankruptcy. Filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy wipes out unsecured debt such as credit cards, but not without consequence. Chapter 13 bankruptcy can help you restructure your debts into a payment plan over 3 to 5 years and may be best if you have assets you want to retain.

What debt Cannot be erased?

Alimony and child support. Certain unpaid taxes, such as tax liens. However, some federal, state, and local taxes may be eligible for discharge if they date back several years. Debts for willful and malicious injury to another person or property.