Average Credit Card Debt in America in 2022

A Credit Karma Study

Updated

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According to our May 25, 2022, report of 73 million Credit Karma members with credit cards, Credit Karma members held more than $374 billion in credit card debt across more than 311 million open accounts. Average credit card debt by member was $6,198.

Read on for more findings, including a breakdown of credit card debt by generation, state and more. Learn more about our methodology here.

Average credit card debt by generation

Generation X and baby boomer Credit Karma members, respectively, hold the highest average credit card debt, while Generation Z has the least. The average credit card debt carried by baby boomers and members of Gen X is around triple the average credit card debt carried by members of Gen Z.

Generation Average credit card debt
Generation Z (Born 1997-2012) $2,589
Millennials (Born 1981-1996) $5,575
Generation X (Born 1965-1980) $7,923
Baby Boomer (Born 1946-1964) $7,285
Silent Generation (Born 1928-1945) $5,602

Average credit card debt by state

Alaska tops the list, with members having the highest average credit card debt at $7,758, followed by Hawaii ($7,167) and New Jersey ($6,982). Members in Mississippi have the lowest average debt — $5,041. Kentucky is close behind with an average credit debt of $5,234.

Here is credit card debt by state sorted alphabetically:

State Credit Karma members’ average credit card debt Rank
Alabama $5,440 6
Alaska $7,758 50
Arizona $5,930 29
Arkansas $5,377 5
California $6,651 43
Colorado $6,406 38
Connecticut $6,751 45
Delaware $6,168 32
Florida $6,524 41
Georgia $6,309 37
Hawaii $7,167 49
Idaho $5,455 7
Illinois $6,296 36
Indiana $5,353 4
Iowa $5,496 9
Kansas $5,878 26
Kentucky $5,234 2
Louisiana $5,621 15
Maine $5,580 11
Maryland $6,930 47
Massachusetts $6,407 39
Michigan $5,547 10
Minnesota $5,869 25
Mississippi $5,041 1
Missouri $5,612 13
Montana $5,762 21
Nebraska $5,929 28
Nevada $6,250 34
New Hampshire $6,295 35
New Jersey $6,982 48
New Mexico $5,642 16
New York $6,709 44
North Carolina $5,751 20
North Dakota $6,064 30
Ohio $5,612 14
Oklahoma $5,790 23
Oregon $5,844 24
Pennsylvania $5,918 27
Rhode Island $6,229 33
South Carolina $5,789 22
South Dakota $5,734 18
Tennessee $5,595 12
Texas $6,437 40
Utah $5,750 19
Vermont $5,722 17
Virginia $6,909 46
Washington $6,576 42
West Virginia $5,464 8
Wisconsin $5,341 3
Wyoming $6,111 31

Here is credit card debt by state ranked from greatest to lowest amount of debt:

State Credit Karma members’ average credit card debt Rank
Mississippi $5,041 1
Kentucky $5,234 2
Wisconsin $5,341 3
Indiana $5,353 4
Arkansas $5,377 5
Alabama $5,440 6
Idaho $5,455 7
West Virginia $5,464 8
Iowa $5,496 9
Michigan $5,547 10
Maine $5,580 11
Tennessee $5,595 12
Missouri $5,612 13
Ohio $5,612 14
Louisiana $5,621 15
New Mexico $5,642 16
Vermont $5,722 17
South Dakota $5,734 18
Utah $5,750 19
North Carolina $5,751 20
Montana $5,762 21
South Carolina $5,789 22
Oklahoma $5,790 23
Oregon $5,844 24
Minnesota $5,869 25
Kansas $5,878 26
Pennsylvania $5,918 27
Nebraska $5,929 28
Arizona $5,930 29
North Dakota $6,064 30
Wyoming $6,111 31
Delaware $6,168 32
Rhode Island $6,229 33
Nevada $6,250 34
New Hampshire $6,295 35
Illinois $6,296 36
Georgia $6,309 37
Colorado $6,406 38
Massachusetts $6,407 39
Texas $6,437 40
Florida $6,524 41
Washington $6,576 42
California $6,651 43
New York $6,709 44
Connecticut $6,751 45
Virginia $6,909 46
Maryland $6,930 47
New Jersey $6,982 48
Hawaii $7,167 49
Alaska $7,758 50

Higher average credit card debt may be due, in part, to where members live. Those with the lowest average credit card debt tend to live in states we have identified as some of the cheapest states to live in. Conversely, those with the highest average debt live in some of the states ranked the most expensive.

Average credit card debt by credit score

Credit Karma members with higher VantageScore 3.0 credit scores tend to have lower average credit card debt. Those with scores of 601 to 660 have the highest average debt — $8,819 — while those with scores of 781 to 850 average $3,523 in credit card debt.

Those with scores of 300 to 600 are an exception, with $4,880 in average card debt.

VantageScore 3.0 score band Average total credit card debt Average of next card payment Avg. account age (in months)
300-600 $5,398 $185 217.2
601-660 $8,819 $247 345.4
661-780 $6,456 $165 437.1
781-850 $3,253 $92 894.5

A longer account history and lower credit card utilization can help improve credit scores.

Average monthly credit card payment

The average next credit card payment for Credit Karma members is $173. But the average payment is naturally higher for those with higher total credit card debt. For example, Gen X members average $7,923 in credit card debt and have an average next payment of $222. On the flip side, Gen Z members have an average of $2,589 in total card debt and an average next payment of only $78.

Tips for managing credit card debt

Mounting credit card debt can feel overwhelming, but the good news is that there are things you can do to find credit card relief. Here are some suggestions.

Negotiate with your credit card company

If you’ve already missed a payment or are about to, reach out to your credit card issuer. The company may be willing to work out a more manageable repayment plan for you. Some offer forbearance or hardship programs that could reduce your monthly payment or postpone a certain number of payments. You may even be able to settle your debt for a lower amount if the company determines that you aren’t able to pay back the full amount.

If you are able to work out an alternate repayment plan with your creditor, be sure to ask for the plan in writing.

Consider a personal loan to consolidate credit card debt

Consolidating your credit card debt into a personal loan may help you pay your debt off faster. With a debt consolidation personal loan, you make a single payment each month, and your interest rate is fixed, meaning it won’t change based on an index. Another benefit: Interest rates on personal loans tend to be lower than credit card rates. This can help lower your overall monthly payment and/or allow you to pay down your debt more quicky.

Take note that personal loans may come with fees, such as an origination fee or paperwork processing fee. Consider these fees when determining whether you might be able to save money with debt consolidation.

Methodology

To determine averages across credit card debt, we analyzed the accounts of more than 73 million U.S. Credit Karma members who had been active on the site within the last 36 months and who have credit card accounts. All aggregate data analyzed was pulled on May 25, 2022. The data came from members’ TransUnion credit reports, and the averages were based on information from the last 90 days. For the purposes of this analysis, credit card debt is defined as any unpaid balance existing on members’ open credit cards in aggregate at the time the data was pulled. All numbers in this report were rounded to the nearest whole.