Household Debt and Delinquency by State (2026)
District of Columbia has the highest total debt per adult with a credit file at $102,400 in Q4 2025, against a $63,200 national average. 8 states exceed the national average on four or more of the five reported metrics. NY Fed Consumer Credit Panel / Equifax data.
Data period: Q4 2025 ·
Which States Have the Most Household Debt?
District of Columbia carries the highest total household debt per capita at $102,400, followed by Colorado ($92,690) and California ($87,850). The national average is $63,200.
High debt and high delinquency are not interchangeable. 8 states currently exceed the national average on four or more of the five metrics tracked here: credit-card, auto-loan, and mortgage balance delinquency, total debt per credit-file adult, and credit-card balance per credit-file adult. That overlap describes state aggregates; it does not identify the same borrowers, their payment order, or why any measure is high. The American Distress Index tracks 98 indicators nationwide using its separate published methodology.
At a Glance
The American Distress Index reads 43.8 (Typical). On average, its inputs sit higher than in 44% of their own quarterly histories. This page compares state aggregates with national averages. A state appearing near the top of several lists is an observed overlap, not proof of a structural cause, a common set of borrowers, or a forecast. See the ADI methodology for the separate composite calculation.
How Big Is the Gap Between the Highest and Lowest State Rates?
Nevada's credit-card balance-delinquency rate of 16.3% is 2.0 times the rate in Wisconsin (8.0%) for the same Q4 2025 snapshot. That ratio describes two state aggregates; it is not a household comparison or evidence that another historical credit cycle is repeating.
Credit Card Delinquency: Top 10 vs. Bottom 10 States (Q4 2025)
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York Consumer Credit Panel / Equifax. Delinquency = 90+ days past due as share of balances.
Which States Have Both High Debt and High Delinquency?
District of Columbia has $102,400 in total debt per credit-file adult, while its credit-card balance-delinquency rate of 11.2% is below the national average. Showing the measures together does not reveal why the debt was incurred, whether the same people are delinquent, or whether borrowing funds assets or current expenses.
Total Debt Per Capita (Top 10 States) with Credit Card Delinquency
Source: NY Fed Consumer Credit Panel / Equifax. Q4 2025.
National debt trends: Consumer Debt Statistics 2026
Where Is Household Debt Growing the Fastest?
Total debt per capita rose 22.5% nationally from Q4 2019 to Q4 2025. Idaho saw per-capita debt rise 37.6% over the same period — from $50,470 to $69,450. Debt growth and delinquency are different measures. Reading them together can identify places with both high balances and high delinquency, but it does not identify the same borrowers, explain why balances changed, or create a countdown to another form of default.
Total Debt Per Capita Growth, 2019–2025 (Top 15 States)
Source: NY Fed Consumer Credit Panel / Equifax. Q4 2019 vs Q4 2025.
Which States Have the Worst Auto Loan Delinquency?
District of Columbia has the highest auto-loan delinquency rate in this table at 13.6%, more than 5.2 times the rate in Massachusetts. That state-level ranking does not establish which obligation an individual borrower prioritizes, whether a household has used its savings, or which debt might become delinquent next.
Auto Loan Delinquency Rate — Top 10 States (Q4 2025)
Source: NY Fed Consumer Credit Panel / Equifax. Delinquency = 90+ days past due.
National auto loan trend: Auto Loan Serious Delinquency Rate time series
State Rankings: Top 10 and Bottom 10
Rankings across five separately measured metrics. Appearing in more than one top or bottom list is an aggregate overlap, not a household-level distress or resilience classification.
Highest Credit Card Delinquency
| # | State | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | 16.3% |
| 2 | Florida | 14.9% |
| 3 | Louisiana | 14.2% |
| 4 | Texas | 14.2% |
| 5 | Georgia | 13.9% |
| 6 | Arkansas | 13.8% |
| 7 | West Virginia | 13.7% |
| 8 | Arizona | 13.7% |
| 9 | Mississippi | 13.4% |
| 10 | South Carolina | 13.4% |
Highest Auto Loan Delinquency
| # | State | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 13.6% |
| 2 | Mississippi | 7.7% |
| 3 | Georgia | 7.0% |
| 4 | Alabama | 6.5% |
| 5 | Louisiana | 6.5% |
| 6 | Indiana | 6.3% |
| 7 | Michigan | 6.3% |
| 8 | South Carolina | 6.2% |
| 9 | Nevada | 6.2% |
| 10 | Delaware | 6.1% |
Highest Mortgage Delinquency
| # | State | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louisiana | 1.8% |
| 2 | Mississippi | 1.7% |
| 3 | Florida | 1.4% |
| 4 | New York | 1.4% |
| 5 | Oklahoma | 1.3% |
| 6 | Georgia | 1.3% |
| 7 | Texas | 1.2% |
| 8 | Alabama | 1.1% |
| 9 | Illinois | 1.1% |
| 10 | South Carolina | 1.1% |
Highest Total Debt Per Capita
| # | State | Debt |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $102.4k |
| 2 | Colorado | $92.7k |
| 3 | California | $87.8k |
| 4 | Washington | $85.9k |
| 5 | Hawaii | $83.5k |
| 6 | Utah | $83.3k |
| 7 | Maryland | $81.4k |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $77.4k |
| 9 | Virginia | $77.1k |
| 10 | Nevada | $71.3k |
All States: Five Debt & Delinquency Metrics
The complete dataset for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Each state links to its foreclosure law guide. Delinquency rates are percentages of balances 90+ days past due. Debt and balance figures are per capita among adults with credit files.
Download full dataset (CSV)| State | CC Delinq % | Auto Delinq % | Mortgage Delinq % | Total Debt/Cap | CC Balance/Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 12.2 | 6.5 | 1.1 | $48,910 | $3,400 |
| Alaska | 9.8 | 2.9 | 0.7 | $69,460 | $5,250 |
| Arizona | 13.7 | 5.6 | 0.9 | $70,850 | $4,530 |
| Arkansas | 13.8 | 5.6 | 1.1 | $43,090 | $3,310 |
| California | 13.2 | 4.8 | 0.6 | $87,850 | $5,000 |
| Colorado | 11.1 | 4.0 | 0.8 | $92,690 | $4,910 |
| Connecticut | 10.5 | 3.1 | 1.0 | $67,530 | $4,960 |
| Delaware | 12.2 | 6.1 | 1.1 | $66,170 | $4,520 |
| District of Columbia | 11.2 | 13.6 | 1.0 | $102,400 | $5,500 |
| Florida | 14.9 | 5.5 | 1.4 | $61,890 | $5,050 |
| Georgia | 13.9 | 7.0 | 1.3 | $62,070 | $4,610 |
| Hawaii | 10.2 | 3.7 | 0.6 | $83,480 | $5,220 |
| Idaho | 9.5 | 3.3 | 0.7 | $69,450 | $3,870 |
| Illinois | 11.6 | 5.6 | 1.1 | $54,050 | $4,260 |
| Indiana | 11.7 | 6.3 | 1.1 | $49,330 | $3,410 |
| Iowa | 10.3 | 3.5 | 0.8 | $47,410 | $3,250 |
| Kansas | 10.7 | 4.0 | 0.8 | $46,720 | $3,670 |
| Kentucky | 11.8 | 4.9 | 1.0 | $43,160 | $3,140 |
| Louisiana | 14.2 | 6.5 | 1.8 | $48,250 | $3,610 |
| Maine | 9.8 | 3.1 | 0.8 | $53,360 | $3,760 |
| Maryland | 11.7 | 6.0 | 1.1 | $81,390 | $5,090 |
| Massachusetts | 10.3 | 2.6 | 0.7 | $77,400 | $4,650 |
| Michigan | 11.3 | 6.3 | 0.9 | $48,050 | $3,670 |
| Minnesota | 8.6 | 3.0 | 0.6 | $63,860 | $3,990 |
| Mississippi | 13.4 | 7.7 | 1.7 | $41,450 | $3,030 |
| Missouri | 11.3 | 5.5 | 0.8 | $49,420 | $3,550 |
| Montana | 9.8 | 4.0 | 0.5 | $58,390 | $3,850 |
| Nebraska | 9.8 | 3.3 | 0.7 | $49,530 | $3,650 |
| Nevada | 16.3 | 6.2 | 0.9 | $71,260 | $5,060 |
| New Hampshire | 9.8 | 3.0 | 0.6 | $66,480 | $4,500 |
| New Jersey | 11.4 | 4.2 | 1.1 | $69,550 | $5,160 |
| New Mexico | 11.9 | 6.1 | 1.0 | $49,260 | $3,520 |
| New York | 12.9 | 4.3 | 1.4 | $59,420 | $4,820 |
| North Carolina | 12.5 | 6.1 | 0.9 | $61,070 | $4,160 |
| North Dakota | 9.0 | 2.9 | 0.9 | $53,300 | $3,970 |
| Ohio | 11.1 | 5.3 | 1.0 | $46,780 | $3,560 |
| Oklahoma | 13.3 | 5.5 | 1.3 | $43,170 | $3,460 |
| Oregon | 9.5 | 3.6 | 0.6 | $69,640 | $4,030 |
| Pennsylvania | 12.3 | 4.8 | 1.1 | $50,360 | $3,950 |
| Rhode Island | 11.4 | 3.5 | 1.0 | $60,090 | $4,490 |
| South Carolina | 13.4 | 6.2 | 1.1 | $59,460 | $4,090 |
| South Dakota | 9.1 | 3.6 | 0.8 | $52,270 | $3,530 |
| Tennessee | 11.6 | 5.7 | 0.7 | $56,690 | $3,710 |
| Texas | 14.2 | 5.8 | 1.2 | $60,020 | $4,620 |
| Utah | 9.4 | 3.0 | 0.7 | $83,350 | $4,260 |
| Vermont | 9.0 | 2.8 | 0.6 | $52,910 | $3,790 |
| Virginia | 9.8 | 4.6 | 0.7 | $77,060 | $4,770 |
| Washington | 9.3 | 3.8 | 0.6 | $85,880 | $4,640 |
| West Virginia | 13.7 | 5.3 | 1.1 | $37,850 | $3,180 |
| Wisconsin | 8.0 | 3.6 | 0.5 | $49,210 | $3,400 |
| Wyoming | 10.5 | 3.5 | 0.8 | $57,120 | $3,990 |
| National Average | 12.4 | 5.2 | 0.9 | $63,200 | $4,350 |
Values highlighted in red exceed the national average. State names link to foreclosure law guides.
Where the Two Top-Fifteen Lists Overlap
The intersection of the top 15 for total debt per credit-file adult and the top 15 for credit-card balance delinquency currently contains 3 states: California, Nevada, Arizona. The overlap does not establish household repayment capacity, common borrowers, causation, or which obligation became delinquent first. See the State Distress Rankings for the separately defined composite methodology.
Data Sources
NY Fed Consumer Credit Panel
All figures from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's nationally representative 5% sample of Equifax consumer credit reports. State-level snapshots represent Q4 (year-end) data published annually.
Delinquency Definition
Delinquency rates measure balances 90+ days past due as a percentage of total balances in each loan category. Per-capita figures use the adult population with a credit file, not total state population.
Citation
State Level Household Debt Statistics 2003-2025, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, February 2026. For more granular credit card analysis, see Consumer Debt by State and Credit Card Default Statistics 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which state has the highest credit card delinquency rate?
Nevada has the highest stored state credit-card balance-delinquency rate at 16.3% as of Q4 2025. The national average is 12.4%. The state ranking does not establish why rates differ.
Which state has the most household debt per capita?
District of Columbia has the highest total debt per adult with a credit file at $102,400. That aggregate is not an average balance for every resident and does not identify repayment capacity or why balances are high.
What is the average household debt in the United States?
Total household debt per capita stands at $63,200 nationally as of Q4 2025, up from $51,580 in Q4 2019 — a 22.5% increase. This figure includes mortgages, auto loans, credit cards, student loans, and other consumer credit.
Which states have the highest auto loan delinquency?
District of Columbia leads auto loan delinquency at 13.6%, followed by Mississippi (7.7%) and Georgia (7.0%). The national average is 5.2%. These are state-level balance delinquency rates; they do not establish an individual borrower's payment order or show that a credit-card payment was missed first.
How does state debt connect to the American Distress Index?
The ADI uses separately documented state indicators and methodology. This page's cross-list overlaps are descriptive and do not establish a structural cause, identify the same borrowers, or predict another form of default. The ADI currently reads 43.8 (Typical). On average, its inputs sit higher than in 44% of their own quarterly histories.