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…

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.

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 Large Bank Consumer Credit Card Balances: Total Balances (RCCCBBALTOT) from Q3 2012 to Q2 2025 about FR Y-14M, credit cards, consumer credit, large, balance, loans, consumer, banks, depository institutions, and USA.

As of the first quarter of 2025, the levels of debt from consumer lending in the United States amounted to nearly five trillion U.S. dollars. The consumer credit debt of households and nonprofit organizations increased steadily in the last decade. Throughout that period, the outstanding consumer credit in the U.S. has also been growing.

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

Federal Reserve Board of New York provides quarterly Household Debt in USD. Household Debt includes Mortgages, Home Equity Revolving, Auto Loans, Bankcards, Student Loans and Others.


Further information about United States Household Debt

• 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

Consumer Credit in the United States increased to 13.09 USD Billion in September from 3.13 USD Billion in August of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United States Consumer Credit Change - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Consumers in the United States had over **** trillion dollars in debt as of the first quarter of 2025. The majority of that debt were home mortgages, amounting to approximately **** trillion U.S. dollars. Student and car loans were the second and third largest component of household debt. Why is consumer debt important? Debt influences the Consumer Sentiment Index, which is an important indicator assessing the state of the U.S. economy. The U.S. housing market is also seen a bellwether of the economic conditions in the country. The housing industry employs a large number of people, and mortgages are large investments that consumers will pay off over the course of years, sometimes decades. Because of this, financial analysts closely watch consumer debt and its effects on the demand for housing. Attitudes towards debt Consumer perception of debt differed, depending on the kind of debt in question. While most saw a home mortgage as a positive investment, they increasingly looked at student loan debt as a negative debt. With education costs increasing, people are incurring more student loan debt in the United States. Credit card debt also had negative connotations.

Households Debt in the United States decreased to 68.30 percent of GDP in the first quarter of 2025 from 69.40 percent of GDP in the fourth quarter of 2024. This dataset provides - United States Households Debt To Gdp- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

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

Debt Balance Total in the United States increased to 18.59 USD Trillion in the third quarter of 2025 from 18.39 USD Trillion in the second quarter of 2025. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for the United States Debt Balance Total.

View quarterly updates and historical trends for US Credit Card Accounts Delinquent by 90 or More Days. from United States. Source: Federal Reserve Bank o…

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.

Introduction

Credit Card Statistics: A credit card is a widely used financial tool that allows consumers to make purchases or withdraw cash on credit, accruing debt to be repaid later. As of Q4 2024, Americans held approximately USD 1.21 trillion in credit card debt, marking a 4% increase from the previous year. The average credit card balance per consumer reached USD 6,730, up by 3.5% from 2023.

In the same period, the number of credit card accounts in the U.S. rose to about 617 million. Globally, Visa and Mastercard have approximately 1.3 billion and 1.1 billion credit cards in circulation, respectively. Credit cards accounted for 32% of all payment transactions in 2023, reflecting their significant role in consumer spending. However, 22% of credit card users make only minimum payments, indicating potential financial strain. Additionally, credit card delinquency rates rose to 3.6% in Q4 2024, highlighting challenges in debt repayment. These statistics underscore the importance of responsible credit card usage and financial management.

Credit cards also allow customers to build a debt balance that is related to the interest being charged. Let’s shed more light on “Credit Card Statistics†through this article.

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.

Key information about United States Total Debt: % of GDP

• United States Total Debt accounted for 718.9 % of the country's GDP in 2025, compared with the ratio of 718.5 % in the previous quarter.
• US Total Debt: % of GDP data is updated quarterly, available from Dec 1951 to Jun 2025.
• The data reached an all-time high of 834.1 % in Mar 2021 and a record low of 309.4 % in Jun 1953.

CEIC calculates quarterly Total Debt as % of Nominal GDP from quarterly Total Debt and quarterly Nominal GDP. Total Debt is calculated as sum of Liabilities for NonFinancial Business, Federal Government, State and Local Government, Households & Nonprofit Organizations and Financial Business less Mutual Fund Shares. Federal Reserve Board provides Total Debt in local currency. Bureau of Economic Analysis provides Nominal GDP in local currency.

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 Delinquency Rate on Credit Card Loans, All Commercial Banks (DRCCLACBS) from Q1 1991 to Q3 2025 about credit cards, delinquencies, commercial, loans, banks, depository institutions, rate, and USA.

View monthly updates and historical trends for US Total Consumer Credit Outstanding. from United States. Source: Federal Reserve. Track economic data with…