Total U.S. household debt reached 17.94 trillion dollars. Credit card balances alone total 1.13 trillion dollars with average rates at 21.47 percent. These figures form part of wider obligations across mortgages, student loans, and national debt.
Key Takeaways
- U.S. credit card debt hit $1.13 trillion in Q2 2024, up 9.1% year-over-year.
- Average credit card balance per cardholder was $6,518 in 2024.
- Credit card delinquency rate reached 9.1% (90+ days) in Q1 2024, highest since 2011.
- Total U.S. mortgage debt outstanding was $12.44 trillion in Q2 2024.
- Average mortgage balance per borrower reached $252,000 in Q1 2024.
- Mortgage delinquency rate was 3.97% in Q1 2024, up from 3.82% prior year.
- U.S. national debt stood at $35.0 trillion as of July 2024: June 2026.
- National debt-to-GDP ratio reached 123% in Q2 2024.
- Interest payments on national debt hit $892 billion in FY 2024.
- Total U.S. student loan debt outstanding reached $1.61 trillion in Q2 2024, held by 42.5 million borrowers.
- Average student loan debt per borrower was $38,290 as of 2024.
- Federal student loans account for 92% of total U.S. student debt, totaling $1.48 trillion in 2024.
- As of Q2 2024, total U.S. household debt stood at $17.94 trillion, marking a 0.5% increase from the previous quarter and the highest level on record.
- In Q1 2024, U.S. household debt service payments as a percentage of disposable personal income averaged 9.95%, down slightly from 10.02% in Q4 2023.
- By the end of 2023, the average household debt per capita in the U.S. reached approximately $59,400, reflecting a 4.2% year-over-year increase.
Credit card and household debt burdens are rising sharply, with higher delinquencies and interest costs nationwide.
Related reading
01 · Category
Credit Card Debt22 stats
01
U.S. credit card debt hit $1.13 trillion in Q2 2024, up 9.1% year-over-year.
02
Average credit card balance per cardholder was $6,518in 2024.
03
Credit card delinquency rate reached 9.1% (90+ days) in Q1 2024, highest since 2011.
04
Total credit card balances increased $45 billion in Q1 2024.
05
Average APR on credit cards was 21.47% in Q2 2024.
06
49% of U.S. cardholders carry a balance month-to-month in 2024.
07
Credit card debt payments consumed 12.3% of disposable income for revolvers in 2023.
08
Gen Z credit card debt averaged $3,456per borrower in 2023.
09
Total credit card limits rose to $5.18 trillion in Q1 2024.
10
Credit card charge-off rate was 4.5% in Q1 2024.
11
27% of Americans have over $10,000 in credit card debt in 2024.
12
Credit card spending surged 7.2% year-over-year in 2023.
13
Average number of credit cards per person is 3.84 in 2024.
14
Credit card debt for low-income households rose 15% in 2023.
15
Utilization rate on credit cards averaged 49% in Q1 2024 for subprime.
16
Total new credit card accounts opened fell 10% in 2023.
17
Credit card interest payments totaled $130 billion annually in 2023.
18
44 million Americans maxed out a credit card in past year per 2024 survey.
19
Credit card debt grew fastest among 40-49 age group at 12% in 2023.
20
Average credit card payoff time is 24 months for new debt.
21
Credit card balances for millennials hit $500 billion in 2023.
22
Serious delinquency on credit cards rose to 11.3% for 18-29 year olds in Q1 2024.
Interpretation
Credit Card Debt Interpretation
The American dream is increasingly being financed at a 21.5% APR, and we're all collectively swiping our way toward a sobering reality check where nearly half of us are actively paying for yesterday's optimism with tomorrow's income.
02 · Category
Mortgage Debt21 stats
01
Total U.S. mortgage debt outstanding was $12.44 trillion in Q2 2024.
02
Average mortgage balance per borrower reached $252,000in Q1 2024.
03
Mortgage delinquency rate was 3.97% in Q1 2024, up from 3.82% prior year.
04
U.S. home equity reached $33.4 trillion in Q2 2024, with tappable equity at $11 trillion.
05
30-year fixed mortgage rates averaged 6.95% in 2023, up from 3.1% in 2021.
06
Total mortgage originations fell 44% in 2023 to $1.68 trillion.
07
FHA mortgages total $2.1 trillion, with delinquency at 10.6% in Q1 2024.
08
Jumbo mortgage debt grew 8% year-over-year to $1.2 trillion in 2023.
09
Mortgage debt service payments rose to 4.5% of disposable income in Q1 2024.
10
72% of U.S. homeowners have mortgages, with average term now 25 years remaining.
11
Serious mortgage delinquency (90+ days) was 0.74% in Q1 2024.
12
Homeowner mortgage debt per household averaged $220,000in 2023.
13
Adjustable-rate mortgages comprised 7.2% of new originations in Q1 2024.
14
Total mortgage debt increased by $86 billion in Q2 2024.
15
Negative equity affected 1.1% of mortgaged properties in Q1 2024.
16
Average mortgage payment hit $2,264monthly in 2024 due to rates.
17
VA mortgages totaled $1.1 trillion with 3.9% delinquency in 2023.
18
Refinance share of mortgage apps dropped to 0.3% in 2023.
19
Mortgage debt for millennials reached $2.7 trillion in 2023.
20
Foreclosure starts on mortgages were 0.14% in Q1 2024.
21
Total mortgage balances grew 4.1% year-over-year in Q1 2024.
Interpretation
Mortgage Debt Interpretation
Despite homeowners sitting on a colossal $33 trillion in equity, the American dream's price tag has surged with rates near 7%, leaving a worrisome 4% delinquency rate to hint that not everyone is comfortably along for the ride.
03 · Category
National Debt25 stats
01
U.S. national debt stood at $35.0 trillion as of July 2024: June 2026.
02
National debt-to-GDP ratio reached 123% in Q2 2024.
03
Interest payments on national debt hit $892 billion in FY 2024.
04
Publicly held debt was $28.2 trillion in June 2024.
05
National debt increased by $2.4 trillion in FY 2023.
06
Debt held by the public grew 8.3% year-over-year to $27.7 trillion in 2023.
07
31% of national debt is held by foreign investors, totaling $8.0 trillion in 2024.
08
Intragovernmental debt stood at $7.0 trillion in Q2 2024.
09
CBO projects national debt to hit $48 trillion by 2033.
10
Federal debt service costs rose 30% to $659 billion in FY 2023.
11
Japan holds $1.1 trillion of U.S. debt, the largest foreign holder in 2024.
12
National debt per capita is $104,000as of 2024.
13
Debt as share of GDP projected to reach 166% by 2053.
14
Treasury issued $23.5 trillion in debt securities in FY 2023.
15
Federal Reserve holds 13% of publicly held debt at $5.2 trillion in 2024.
16
Average interest rate on national debt was 3.28% in FY 2024.
17
National debt grew $7.8 trillion during Biden administration through 2024.
18
Social Security Trust Fund holds $2.8 trillion in Treasury securities.
19
Debt limit suspended until Jan 2025, after hitting $31.4 trillion in 2023.
20
Annual deficit added $1.7 trillion to debt in FY 2023.
21
Medicare Trust Fund debt holdings: $300 billion intragovernmental.
22
National debt interest projected to exceed defense spending by 2025.
23
China holds $768 billion in U.S. Treasury debt as of March 2024: June 2026.
24
Gross national debt increased 26% from $28 trillion in 2021 to $35 trillion in 2024.
25
Maturity of Treasury debt averages 70 months in 2024.
Interpretation
National Debt Interpretation
We've somehow engineered a future where we'll be paying more to our creditors for our past than we'll be spending on our military for our future, and every American, including newborns, already owes a six-figure tab for the party.
More related reading
04 · Category
Student Loan Debt23 stats
01
Total U.S. student loan debt outstanding reached $1.61 trillion in Q2 2024, held by 42.5 million borrowers.
02
Average student loan debt per borrower was $38,290as of 2024.
03
Federal student loans account for 92% of total U.S. student debt, totaling $1.48 trillion in 2024.
04
Student loan delinquency rate was 7.4% in Q1 2024, excluding those in deferment.
05
From 2007 to 2024, U.S. student debt tripled from $500 billion to $1.61 trillion.
06
45 million Americans have student loan debt, with total balance up 5.8% year-over-year in 2023.
07
Women hold 57% of total U.S. student loan debt, averaging $31,680 per borrower in 2023.
08
Black borrowers owe 13.6% of student debt despite being 7.5% of borrowers, averaging $53,000 per person.
09
Student loan debt payments consumed 5.2% of GDP in 2023 projections.
10
18% of U.S. adults under 30 have student debt over $50,000 in 2024.
11
Total private student loan debt was $128.3 billion in Q1 2024.
12
Average time to repay student loans is 20 years, with 10% taking over 30 years.
13
Student debt for graduate degrees averages $80,250per borrower in 2023.
14
39% of borrowers are 35 or older, holding 58% of total student debt.
15
Student loan default rate for 2019 cohort was 7.5% after three years.
16
Total student debt grew 7.2% from 2020 to 2023 amid pandemic forbearance.
17
Parents hold $108 billion in federal Parent PLUS loans as of 2024.
18
56% of bachelor's degree holders have student debt, averaging $32,240.
19
Student debt-to-income ratio for recent grads averages 12% lifelong.
20
Forgiveness programs have canceled $160 billion for 4.4 million borrowers as of 2024.
21
Monthly student loan payment for average borrower rose to $524in 2024 post-forbearance.
22
28% of student borrowers are in forbearance or deferment in 2024.
23
Student debt delinquency spiked to 9.3% for ages 18-29 in Q1 2024.
Interpretation
Student Loan Debt Interpretation
America has built a trillion-dollar millstone of ambition around the necks of its citizens, where the average graduate's diploma is not just a ticket to the future but a two-decade mortgage on a past education, with a particularly crushing interest rate on equality.
05 · Category
Total Household Debt30 stats
01
As of Q2 2024, total U.S. household debt stood at $17.94 trillion, marking a 0.5% increase from the previous quarter and the highest level on record.
02
In Q1 2024, U.S. household debt service payments as a percentage of disposable personal income averaged 9.95%, down slightly from 10.02% in Q4 2023.
03
By the end of 2023, the average household debt per capita in the U.S. reached approximately $59,400,reflecting a 4.2% year-over-year increase.
04
U.S. household debt-to-GDP ratio was 75.3% in Q3 2023, compared to a peak of 100% during the 2008 financial crisis.
05
From 2019 to 2023, total U.S. household debt grew by 25.6%, from $14.15 trillion to $17.77 trillion.
06
In 2022, 11.3% of U.S. households carried debt in collections totaling over $88 billion.
07
The median household debt balance in the U.S. was $48,000in 2023, with the 90th percentile at $180,000.
08
U.S. household revolving debt hit $1.17 trillion in Q2 2024, up 4.1% year-over-year.
09
Delinquency rates on all household debt rose to 3.2% in Q1 2024, the highest since Q1 2012.
10
Total U.S. household debt increased by $212 billion in Q1 2024 alone.
11
As of 2023, Baby Boomers held 38.5% of total U.S. household debt despite being 21% of the population.
12
U.S. household debt payments consumed 9.7% of after-tax income in Q4 2023.
13
From 2003 to 2023, U.S. household debt per adult rose from $38,000to $58,000 adjusted for inflation.
14
In 2023, 40% of U.S. households had debt balances over $100,000.
15
Total U.S. household non-housing debt reached $5.1 trillion in Q4 2023.
16
Household debt growth accelerated to 5.2% annually in 2023, the fastest since 2007.
17
U.S. households with debt numbered 148 million in 2023, covering 93% of adults.
18
The debt-to-income ratio for U.S. households averaged 130% in 2023.
19
Total household debt in the U.S. surged 11% from $16.1 trillion in 2020 to $17.9 trillion in 2024.
20
In Q3 2023, household debt balances grew by $57 billion quarterly.
21
U.S. household debt as a share of personal income was 99.5% in 2023.
22
By age group, Millennials held $2.8 trillion in household debt in 2023.
23
Total U.S. household credit limits expanded to $25.4 trillion in Q1 2024.
24
Household debt delinquency transitions increased 8% year-over-year in Q1 2024.
25
U.S. household debt grew 1.1% in 2023, outpacing wage growth of 0.9%.
26
Total household debt-to-asset ratio stood at 15.2% in Q4 2023.
27
In 2022, U.S. households owed $17.5 trillion, with an average interest rate of 6.8%.
28
Household debt balances for subprime borrowers rose 7% in 2023.
29
Total U.S. household debt service ratio hit 13.2% for bottom 50% income in 2023.
30
As of mid-2024, U.S. household debt utilization rate was 29.5%.
Interpretation
Total Household Debt Interpretation
The record-breaking mountain of American household debt is growing taller and faster than our paychecks, yet we’re building it on a foundation of credit cards, rising delinquencies, and over a trillion dollars in revolving balances—so while we’re not yet at crisis levels, we’re certainly flirting with the edge of the financial cliff.
Reference
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APA
Thomas Lindqvist. (2026, February 13). Debt In America Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/debt-in-america-statistics
MLA
Thomas Lindqvist. "Debt In America Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/debt-in-america-statistics.
Chicago
Thomas Lindqvist. 2026. "Debt In America Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/debt-in-america-statistics.
Sources & references
44 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level