Generation X was the group of people with the highest average credit card balance in the United States in the 3rd quarter of 2024. That year, the average credit card debt of generation Z amounted to approximately ***** U.S. dollars. People in the silent generation had a credit card balance of roughly ***** U.S. dollars.

Credit card debt in the United States has been growing at a fast pace between 2021 and 2025. In the fourth quarter of 2024, the overall amount of credit card debt reached its highest value throughout the timeline considered here. COVID-19 had a big impact on the indebtedness of Americans, as credit card debt decreased from *** billion U.S. dollars in the last quarter of 2019 to *** billion U.S. dollars in the first quarter of 2021. What portion of Americans use credit cards? A substantial portion of Americans had at least one credit card in 2025. That year, the penetration rate of credit cards in the United States was ** percent. This number increased by nearly seven percentage points since 2014. The primary factors behind the high utilization of credit cards in the United States are a prevalent culture of convenience, a wide range of reward schemes, and consumer preferences for postponed payments. Which companies dominate the credit card issuing market? In 2024, the leading credit card issuers in the U.S. by volume were JPMorgan Chase & Co. and American Express. Both firms recorded transactions worth over one trillion U.S. dollars that year. Citi and Capital One were the next banks in that ranking, with the transactions made with their credit cards amounting to over half a trillion U.S. dollars that year. Those industry giants, along with other prominent brand names in the industry such as Bank of America, Synchrony Financial, Wells Fargo, and others, dominate the credit card market. Due to their extensive customer base, appealing rewards, and competitive offerings, they have gained a significant market share, making them the preferred choice for consumers.

View quarterly updates and historical trends for US Credit Card Debt. from United States. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Track economic data wi…

The average consumer debt balance in the United States has peaked in 2024 at roughly ******* U.S. dollars. However, average consumer debt had decreased between 2010 and 2013, when it reached approximately ****** U.S. dollars. Here, consumer debt refers to student and car loans, credit cards, personal loans, mortgages, and other types of debt.

Graph and download economic data for Consumer Loans: Credit Cards and Other Revolving Plans, All Commercial Banks (CCLACBW027SBOG) from 2000-06-28 to 2025-09-24 about revolving, credit cards, loans, consumer, banks, depository institutions, and USA.

This statistic presents the average credit card debt of Americans in 2017, by income. In that year, the credit card debt of Americans who earned more than *** thousand U.S. dollars amounted to ****** U.S. dollars.

Debt Balance Credit Cards in the United States increased to 1.21 Trillion USD in the second quarter of 2025 from 1.18 Trillion USD in the first quarter of 2025. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for the United States Debt Balance Credit Cards.

Key information about United States Household Debt

• United States Household Debt reached 18,036.0 USD bn in Dec 2024, compared with the reported number of 17,943.0 USD bn in the previous quarter
• US Household Debt: USD mn data is updated quarterly, available from Mar 1999 to Dec 2024
• The data reached an all-time high of 18,036.0 USD bn in Dec 2024 and a record low of 4,540.0 USD bn in Mar 1999

• In the latest reports, United States Household Debt accounted for 61.7 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Dec 2024
• Money Supply M2 in United States increased 21,533.8 USD bn YoY in Dec 2024
• United States Foreign Exchange Reserves was measured at 34.9 USD bn in Dec 2024
• The Foreign Exchange Reserves equaled 0.1 Months of Import in Dec 2024
• United States Domestic Credit reached 30,648.3 USD bn in Mar 2024, representing an drop of 0.3 % YoY

Graph and download economic data for Delinquency Rate on Credit Card Loans, All Commercial Banks (DRCCLACBS) from Q1 1991 to Q2 2025 about credit cards, delinquencies, commercial, loans, banks, depository institutions, rate, and USA.

As of the fourth quarter of 2024, Alaska and Hawaii were the states in the U.S. with the highest credit card debt. While the average credit card debt in Alaska amounted to ***** U.S. dollars, people from Mississippi only had on average ***** U.S. dollars of credit card debt.

Graph and download economic data for Household Debt Service Payments as a Percent of Disposable Personal Income (TDSP) from Q1 1980 to Q2 2025 about disposable, payments, personal income, debt, percent, households, personal, income, services, and USA.

The average amount of non-mortgage debt held by consumers in the United States has been falling steadily during the past years, amounting to ****** U.S. dollars in 2023. While respondents had ****** U.S. dollars of debt in 2018, that volume decreased to ****** U.S. dollars in 2019, which constituted the largest year-over-year decrease.What age groups are more indebted in the U.S.?The age group with the highest level of consumer debt in the U.S. was belonging to the Generation X with approximately ******* U.S. dollars of debt in 2022. The next generations with high consumer debt levels were baby boomers and millennials, whose debt levels were similar. In comparison, credit card debt is more equally distributed across all ages. There is an exception among people under 35 years old, who are significantly less burdened with credit card debt. However, most consumers expect to get rid of their debt in the short term. College expenses as a source of debtEducational expenses were not among the leading sources of debt among consumers in the U.S. in 2022. Instead, they made up about ** percent of the total. However, around ** percent of undergraduates from lower-income families had student loans, while over a fifth of undergraduates from higher-income families had student loans. Independently of how they cover these expenses, the confidence of students and parents about being able to pay these college costs was high in most cases.

Graph and download economic data for Total Consumer Credit Owned and Securitized (TOTALSL) from Jan 1943 to Jul 2025 about securitized, owned, consumer credit, loans, consumer, and USA.

South Korea: Credit card debt balance per capita, U.S. dollars: The latest value from is U.S. dollars, unavailable from U.S. dollars in . In comparison, the world average is 0 U.S. dollars, based on data from countries. Historically, the average for South Korea from to is U.S. dollars. The minimum value, U.S. dollars, was reached in while the maximum of U.S. dollars was recorded in .

While interest rates in the United States declined three times by late 2024, average credit card interest rates did not immediately follow suit. This reveals itself when comparing the Federal Reserve interest rate against the APR, or annual percentage rates, of credit cards issued by commercial banks. The APR reached a record high in the country in 2024, likely adding to the growing credit card debt in the United States. This was below the APR of credit cards in a country like Brazil, however. It is expected that the credit card interest rates will continue to need time to catch up with the Fed interest rate.

Argentina: Credit card debt balance per capita, U.S. dollars: The latest value from is U.S. dollars, unavailable from U.S. dollars in . In comparison, the world average is 0 U.S. dollars, based on data from countries. Historically, the average for Argentina from to is U.S. dollars. The minimum value, U.S. dollars, was reached in while the maximum of U.S. dollars was recorded in .

Chad: Credit card debt balance per capita, U.S. dollars: The latest value from is U.S. dollars, unavailable from U.S. dollars in . In comparison, the world average is 0 U.S. dollars, based on data from countries. Historically, the average for Chad from to is U.S. dollars. The minimum value, U.S. dollars, was reached in while the maximum of U.S. dollars was recorded in .

HH Debt: Credit Card: Limit data was reported at 3,931.000 USD bn in Mar 2020. This records an increase from the previous number of 3,897.000 USD bn for Dec 2019. HH Debt: Credit Card: Limit data is updated quarterly, averaging 2,913.000 USD bn from Mar 1999 (Median) to Mar 2020, with 85 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3,931.000 USD bn in Mar 2020 and a record low of 1,380.000 USD bn in Jun 1999. HH Debt: Credit Card: Limit data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.KB027: Household Debt.

The Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) is normally a triennial cross-sectional survey of U.S. families. The survey data include information on families' balance sheets, pensions, income, and demographic characteristics.