Credit Card Debt Statistics & Facts: The Burden of Plastic Money
Americans have become increasingly reliant on credit cards to finance their daily expenses, despite the fact that this is one of the most expensive ways to get money. In fact, the US credit card debt consistently reaches record highs year after year. To illustrate just how dire some of these numbers are, we've outlined the most relevant data below.
Statistics on Credit Card Debt in the US (Editor’s Choice for 2025)
- The national credit card debt in the US is at an all-time high.
- The average household credit card debt in America is $10,757 in 2025.
- 82% of adult Americans possess at least one credit card.
- Generation X holds the largest number of credit cards and carries the highest debts.
- 25% of Americans said they depended on credit cards to cover basic living expenses in 2024.
The total national credit card debt in the United States was $1.29 billion in Q3 of 2024.
(Wallethub)
This is an all-time high, and has been steadily increasing in the past year, growing from $1.22 billion year-over-year.
82% of adult Americans possess at least one credit card.
(Federal Reserve)
The share of people owning a credit card is higher among those who have larger incomes, are better educated, and are white.
The average household credit card debt in the US is more than $10,757 in 2025.
(Wallethub)
To illustrate this data better, keep in mind that this debt was 84% lower in 1990, when adjusted for inflation.
The average American owns 3 credit cards.
(Experian State of Credit)
The number of credit cards an average American owns is still down compared to 2019 when the number was 4.
50% of Americans carried a balance on their credit cards in 2024 month-to-month.
(Bankrate)
This is alarming, and represents the highest percentage since 2020.
The average credit card utilization rate is just below 30% in 2025.
(Experian)
Credit card utilization represents how much revolving credit is in use compared to the available limit. The number has increased from 26% in 2021.
25% of Americans took on debt to cover basic living expenses in 2024.
(Civic Science)
The same survey found that 16% of respondents regularly take on credit card debt to pay for groceries, gas and other essentials.
In 2024, revolving credit (which mostly consists of US credit card debt) increased by 13.9%.
(Federal Reserve)
In the same period, non-revolving credit debt rose by 1.1%.
Credit card delinquency was at its highest in 2009, when it was 6.77%.
(Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis)
Today, the delinquency rate is rising once again, and has reached 4% in 2024.
The average credit card interest rate was just over 24.37% by the end of 2024.
(Investopedia)
At the time of writing, average credit card payments are slightly higher than during the same period last year, rising from 24.24%.
In 2024, the average American accumulated $1,181 in debt over the holiday period.
(PaymentsJournal)
This represented an increase from $1,028 during the 2023 holiday season, with 65% of consumers charging the debt to their credit cards.
Generation X Americans had the most debt in 2024.
(Wallethub)
People in this age group owe $9,123 on average. They are followed by Baby Boomers, who owe more than $6,642 on average.
Younger Americans are more likely than older ones to have committed some kind of credit card blunder.
(National Foundation for Credit Counseling)
Younger adults are more likely to be rejected for a new credit card (11% versus 6% during the 12 months prior to publishing the survey), to be late in making a credit card payment (11% versus 5%), to miss a payment (12% versus 4%), or to make a payment that was less than the minimum required (13% versus 3%).
On average, men carry significantly more debt on their credit cards than women.
(ValuePenguin)
Female householders generally have 22% less credit card debt than their male counterparts.
78% of Black adult cardholders in the US carried credit card balances in 2024.
(Federal Reserve)
This is followed by Hispanic cardholders, of which 62% carried balances.
Credit card debt is most prominent in the $90,000 to $100,000 income bracket.
(Wallethub)
Families in this income level owed an average of $6,000 in 2024 in credit card balances.
Families who earn less than $20,000 have an average debt of $1,140.
(Wallethub)
This number increases to 1,600 for families in the $20,000 - $39.900 bracket.
People in the 670-739 credit score range had the highest amount of debt in 2024.
(Experian)
The same data showed that people with the highest credit scores (800-850) had the lowest amount of debt.
Only 11% of Americans believe they’ll be debt free within a decade.
(Clever Real Estate)
The survey found that 49% of respondents believed they will be clear of their credit card debt within the next year.
Alaska was the US state with the highest average credit card debt in 2024: $7,316.
(Visual Capitalist)
It’s followed by Washington D.C. ($7,236), Maryland ($6,787) and Nevada ($6,710).
Wisconsin has the lowest average credit card debt among US states ($4,940).
(Visual Capitalist)
In 2024, Wisconsin residents had the lowest amount of debt, followed by Iowa with $5,063 and Kentucky with $5,098.
In 2024, the US state with the highest credit card delinquency rate was Nevada (12.95%).
(Wallethub)
Florida followed in the second place with a 11.68% delinquency rate, and Arkansas with 11.29%.
Make Good on Debts
As you can see, American credit card debt continues to grow to worrying heights. For the wellbeing of your household, you should always spend responsibly and keep a record of the debts on each of your credit cards.
Put everything on paper and create a repayment plan that’s realistic for your budget. This will help you decide whether to repay the debt with the highest balance or with the highest interest rate first. And, most importantly, try to pay off your debts on time, both to improve your credit history and reduce the interest you end up paying.
Sources
For years, the clients I worked for were banks. That gave me an insider’s view of how banks and other institutions create financial products and services. Then I entered the world of journalism. Fortunly is the result of our fantastic team’s hard work. I use the knowledge I acquired as a bank copywriter to create valuable content that will help you make the best possible financial decisions.