Support for Over-Leveraged Consumers in 2026

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Americans have a record amount of credit card financial obligation $1.252 trillion, to be precise. This credit card financial obligation data page tracks Americans' credit card use each month.

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While credit card debt tends to increase year over year, it usually falls from Q4 of one year to Q1 of the next. Even with this quarter's decrease, credit card balances have risen by $482 billion because Q1 2021, when credit card financial obligation bottomed out at $770 billion during the pandemic.

Americans' credit card financial obligation is $325 billion greater than the pre-pandemic record embeded in Q4 2019, when balances stood at $927 billion. (That's a 35% boost.) Charge card balances have actually historically rebounded after first-quarter declines, though future borrowing patterns will depend upon factors including rates of interest, inflation and broader financial conditions.

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Credit card financial obligation rose progressively until the financial crisis, then declined from $866 billion in Q4 2008 to $660 billion in Q1 2013 before resuming its upward trajectory. When the pandemic took hold in 2020, credit card balances plunged again from $927 billion in Q4 2019 to $770 billion in Q1 2021.

Credit cardholders in Connecticut have the highest average charge card financial obligation of any state, according to LendingTree data, while those in Mississippi have the lowest. Source: LendingTree analysis of the anonymized credit reports of more than 400,000 LendingTree users in the 3rd quarter of 2025 and more than 410,000 in Q3 2024.

Joint accounts were divided in half to show shared duty between the account holders. LendingTree analysts examined anonymized credit report information from Q3 2025 for more than 400,000 LendingTree users to calculate these averages and produce a list of states with the most financial obligation. The analysis was likewise compared with Q3 2024 information from more than 410,000 reports.

Eleven states had average balances of a minimum of $9,000. Connecticut leads at $9,778, ahead of New Jersey ($ 9,748) and Maryland ($ 9,630). The six states with the most affordable balances remain in the South. Mississippi's balance is $4,887, lower than Arkansas ($ 5,259) and West Virginia ($ 5,336). Washington has the fastest-growing card debt in the period evaluated.

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3 other states saw double-digit increases, including South Dakota (up 11.7%), Nebraska (up 11.3%) and Wisconsin (up 10.2%). Meanwhile, New Mexico saw the biggest year-over-year decline in debt, with its citizens' financial obligation falling 10.3% from $6,543 to $5,871. In all, 7 states saw credit card balances reduce in the past year.

Fewer than half of adult credit cardholders (45%) brought a balance on a charge card for a minimum of one month in the past year, according to a May 2026 Federal Reserve research study utilizing 2025 data. Paying a charge card balance completely every month is the most reliable way to avoid interest charges and keep debt from collecting.

For all charge card, the typical APR in Q2 2026 was 20.94%. For cards accumulating interest, the average in Q2 2026 was 22.15%. For new charge card provides, the average is 23.79%. Typical APR, present card accounts: 20.94% Average APR, accounts that accrue interest: 22.15% Typical APR, brand-new credit card uses: 23.79% The Federal Reserve's G. 19 customer credit report revealed that the typical APRs for cards accruing interest increased to 22.15% in Q2 2026, up from 21.52% in Q1 2026.

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Consumers opening a brand-new credit card account might face higher rates than the averages for existing accounts. The current LendingTree data on credit card APRs shows that the average APR with a brand-new charge card offer is 23.79%, with the average card offering an APR series of 20.18% to 27.41%.

When the Fed raises or lowers rates, many credit card APRs in the U.S.No matter when the Fed acts next, any movement is likely to be small, meaning credit card APRs would likely remain elevated by historical standards. Just 2.92% of Americans' impressive credit card balances were at least 30 days delinquent in the first quarter of 2026., the 30-day delinquency rate the share of outstanding credit card balances that were at least 30 days past due dipped to 2.92% in the first quarter of 2026, the seventh straight quarterly decrease.