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.

The total average non-mortgage debt of Baby Boomers in the United States amounted to nearly 18,470 U.S. dollars in 2024. Debt balances, however, varied greatly according to the generation. The Generation X held the highest debt on average, while the silent generation held the lowest average debt.

Key information about United States Household Debt

• United States Household Debt reached 18,585.0 USD bn in Sep 2025, compared with the reported number of 18,388.0 USD bn in the previous quarter
• US Household Debt: USD mn data is updated quarterly, available from Mar 1999 to Sep 2025
• The data reached an all-time high of 18,585.0 USD bn in Sep 2025 and a record low of 4,540.0 USD bn in Mar 1999

• In the latest reports, United States Household Debt accounted for 61.4 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Jun 2025
• Money Supply M2 in United States increased 22,298.1 USD bn YoY in Oct 2025
• United States Foreign Exchange Reserves was measured at 38.3 USD bn in Oct 2025
• The Foreign Exchange Reserves equaled 0.1 Months of Import in Aug 2025
• United States Domestic Credit reached 31,813.3 USD bn in Mar 2025, representing an increased of 4.0 % YoY

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 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.

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.

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

In 2024, the average student loan debt of graduates of Northwestern University, ranked as the 6th best college in the United States, amounted to 36,425 U.S. dollars. For students at Princeton University, classified as the best U.S. college in that year, they left college with student loan debt totaling 17,494 U.S. dollars on average.

Debt Balance Credit Cards in the United States increased to 1.23 Trillion USD in the third quarter of 2025 from 1.21 Trillion USD in the second quarter of 2025. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for the United States Debt Balance Credit Cards.

Graph and download economic data for Consumer Loans: Credit Cards and Other Revolving Plans, All Commercial Banks (CCLACBW027SBOG) from 2000-06-28 to 2025-11-19 about revolving, credit cards, loans, consumer, banks, depository institutions, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Memorandum Items: Custody Holdings: Federal Agency Debt and Mortgage-Backed Securities: Change in Week Average from Year Ago Week Average (RESH4FAXAWXCH52NWW) from 2002-12-18 to 2025-11-19 about custody holdings, mortgage-backed, agency, average, debt, all items, securities, federal, and USA.

. The People's Bank of China provides Household Debt in local currency. The Federal Reserve Board period end market exchange rate is used for currency conversions. Loans are used due to the lack of Flow of Funds statistics.


Further information about China Household Debt

• In the latest reports, China Household Debt accounted for 60.4 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Sep 2025
• Money Supply M2 in China increased 44,251.0 USD bn YoY in Mar 2025
• China Foreign Exchange Reserves was measured at 3,343.3 USD bn in Oct 2025
• The Foreign Exchange Reserves equaled 15.5 Months of Import in Oct 2025
• China Domestic Credit reached 52,818.4 USD bn in Oct 2025, representing an increased of 7.9 % YoY

For those graduating college in the United States in 2020, five-figure debt was the norm across all states. Students in New Hampshire had the highest debt levels in the country, at 39,928 U.S. dollars on average. The lowest average amount of debt that students had was in the state of Utah at 18,344 U.S. dollars.

United States CBO Projection: Federal Debt Held by Public: Average Interest Rate data was reported at 3.448 % in 2028. This records an increase from the previous number of 3.442 % for 2027. United States CBO Projection: Federal Debt Held by Public: Average Interest Rate data is updated yearly, averaging 3.289 % from Sep 2014 (Median) to 2028, with 15 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.531 % in 2023 and a record low of 1.654 % in 2015. United States CBO Projection: Federal Debt Held by Public: Average Interest Rate data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Congressional Budget Office. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.F006: Federal Debt: Projection: Congressional Budget Office.

Graph and download economic data for Assets: Securities Held Outright: Federal Agency Debt Securities: Change in Week Average from Previous Week Average (RESPPALGAOXAWXCH1NWW) from 2002-12-18 to 2025-11-26 about outright, agency, average, debt, securities, federal, assets, and USA.

Brazil Federal Public Debt: Average Maturity: Domestic data was reported at 4.094 Year in Apr 2019. This records an increase from the previous number of 4.024 Year for Mar 2019. Brazil Federal Public Debt: Average Maturity: Domestic data is updated monthly, averaging 3.978 Year from Dec 2005 (Median) to Apr 2019, with 151 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4.644 Year in Oct 2015 and a record low of 2.281 Year in Dec 2005. Brazil Federal Public Debt: Average Maturity: Domestic data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Treasury Secretariat. The data is categorized under Brazil Premium Database’s Government and Public Finance – Table BR.FC020: Federal Public Debt: Held by the Public: Average Maturity. This data is part of the Monthly Report of Federal Public Debt from National Treasury. Displays information about emissions, redemptions, stock, maturity profile and average cost to the Federal Public Debt, including both the internal and external debts, responsibility of the National Treasury market.

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.

Brazil Federal Public Debt: Average Life data was reported at 5.792 Year in Apr 2019. This records an increase from the previous number of 5.696 Year for Mar 2019. Brazil Federal Public Debt: Average Life data is updated monthly, averaging 5.848 Year from Dec 2005 (Median) to Apr 2019, with 153 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 7.019 Year in Jul 2013 and a record low of 4.617 Year in Dec 2005. Brazil Federal Public Debt: Average Life data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Treasury Secretariat. The data is categorized under Brazil Premium Database’s Government and Public Finance – Table BR.FC022: Federal Public Debt: Held by the Public: Average Life. This data is part of the Monthly Report of Federal Public Debt from National Treasury. Displays information about emissions, redemptions, stock, maturity profile and average cost to the Federal Public Debt, including both the internal and external debts, responsibility of the National Treasury market.

Graph and download economic data for Memorandum Items: Securities Lent to Dealers: Overnight Facility, Federal Agency Debt Securities: Change in Week Average from Year Ago Week Average (RESH4DOFXAWXCH52NWW) from 2002-12-18 to 2025-11-26 about agency, dealers, overnight, average, debt, all items, securities, federal, and USA.