Evaluating the Top 2026 Debt Relief Plans

How Does LendingTree Get Paid? We are committed to offering accurate material that helps you make informed cash decisions.

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

apfsc.org

While credit card debt tends to rise year over year, it typically falls from Q4 of one year to Q1 of the next. The last time we saw card financial obligation boost in Q1 remained in 2001. (The only time it didn't fall in Q1 ever since was 2023, when it stayed the same.) Even with this quarter's reduction, charge card balances have risen by $482 billion since Q1 2021, when charge card debt bottomed out at $770 billion during the pandemic.

Americans' credit card financial obligation is $325 billion higher than the pre-pandemic record set in Q4 2019, when balances stood at $927 billion. (That's a 35% increase.) Charge card balances have traditionally rebounded after first-quarter decreases, though future borrowing trends will depend on elements consisting of rates of interest, inflation and more comprehensive economic conditions.

Can Debt Management Help Your Financial Future?

Credit card financial obligation increased progressively up until the financial 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, credit card balances plunged again from $927 billion in Q4 2019 to $770 billion in Q1 2021.

Credit cardholders in Connecticut have the greatest typical credit card debt of any state, according to LendingTree information, while those in Mississippi have the lowest. 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 responsibility in between the account holders. LendingTree analysts reviewed 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 also compared to Q3 2024 data from more than 410,000 reports.

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

Relief for Struggling Households in 2026

Three other states saw double-digit boosts, including South Dakota (up 11.7%), Nebraska (up 11.3%) and Wisconsin (up 10.2%). Meanwhile, New Mexico saw the largest year-over-year decrease in debt, with its locals' financial obligation falling 10.3% from $6,543 to $5,871. In all, seven states saw credit card balances reduce in the previous year.

Fewer than half of adult credit cardholders (45%) carried a balance on a charge card for a minimum of one month in the previous year, according to a May 2026 Federal Reserve study using 2025 data. Paying a charge card balance completely monthly is the most effective method to avoid interest charges and keep debt from accumulating.

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

apfsc.org

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

When the Fed raises or decreases rates, most 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' outstanding 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 decline.