Seeking 2026 Financial Hardship Assistance

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

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While credit card financial obligation tends to rise year over year, it typically falls from Q4 of one year to Q1 of the next. Even with this quarter's reduction, credit card balances have risen by $482 billion considering that 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.) Credit card balances have traditionally rebounded after first-quarter declines, though future borrowing patterns will depend upon factors including interest rates, inflation and broader economic conditions.

Ways to Settle Your Debt in 2026

Charge card debt rose steadily until the monetary crisis, then decreased from $866 billion in Q4 2008 to $660 billion in Q1 2013 before resuming its upward trajectory. Then, when the pandemic took hold in 2020, charge card balances plunged again from $927 billion in Q4 2019 to $770 billion in Q1 2021.

Credit cardholders in Connecticut have the highest average credit card debt of any state, according to LendingTree data, while those in Mississippi have the most affordable. Source: LendingTree analysis of the anonymized credit reports of more than 400,000 LendingTree users in the third 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 reviewed anonymized credit report information from Q3 2025 for more than 400,000 LendingTree users to determine these averages and develop a list of states with the most financial obligation. The analysis was likewise compared with Q3 2024 data from more than 410,000 reports.

Eleven states had typical balances of at least $9,000. Washington has the fastest-growing card debt in the duration analyzed.

Finding 2026 Financial Hardship Help

Three other states saw double-digit boosts, consisting of South Dakota (up 11.7%), Nebraska (up 11.3%) and Wisconsin (up 10.2%). On The Other Hand, New Mexico saw the largest year-over-year reduction in debt, with its citizens' debt falling 10.3% from $6,543 to $5,871. In all, 7 states saw charge card balances reduce in the past year.

Less than half of adult credit cardholders (45%) carried a balance on a charge card for at least one month in the previous year, according to a May 2026 Federal Reserve research study utilizing 2025 data. Paying a credit card balance completely each month is the most effective way to avoid interest charges and keep financial obligation from building up.

For cards accruing interest, the average in Q2 2026 was 22.15%. For brand-new credit card provides, the average is 23.79%.

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Consumers opening a brand-new charge card account may deal with greater rates than the averages for existing accounts. The most current LendingTree information on credit card APRs shows that the typical APR with a new credit card offer is 23.79%, with the average card using an APR series of 20.18% to 27.41%.

When the Fed raises or reduces 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. Simply 2.92% of Americans' exceptional 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 very first quarter of 2026, the seventh straight quarterly decrease.