How much credit card debt does an average American household have?
Average American Credit Card Debt
What is the average credit card debt in the U.S.? Based on data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the U.S. Census Bureau (based on 2022 and 2021 data respectively), it can be calculated that each American household carries an average of $7,951 in credit card debt in a year.
While Americans carry an average of four credit cards, that doesn't mean four cards is ideal. It all depends on your situation. Credit card optimizers might be curious if there's a number of credit cards that's too many.
$5,000 in credit card debt can be quite costly in the long run. That's especially the case if you only make minimum payments each month. However, you don't have to accept decades of credit card debt.
Is $2,000 too much credit card debt? $2,000 in credit card debt is manageable if you can pay more than the minimum each month. If it's hard to keep up with the payments, then you'll need to make some financial changes, such as tightening up your spending or refinancing your debt.
Most lenders would prefer your credit utilization to stay below 30%. This means if your limit is $1,000, you should keep the balance under $300. » Learn More: How to Increase Credit Card Limit.
What is considered a “normal” credit limit among most Americans? The average American had access to $30,233 in credit across all of their credit cards in 2021, according to Experian.
The same survey found 70% percent of Americans with a net worth over $1 million have two or more credit cards, compared to 41% of Americans with a net worth under $1 million.
Nearly half, or 49%, of credit card holders carry debt from month to month on at least one card, up from 46% last year, the report found, and 56 million cardholders have been in debt for at least a year.
Key takeaways: There isn't a set number of credit cards you should have, but having less than five credit accounts total can make it more difficult for scoring models to issue you a score and make you less attractive to lenders.
What is considered a large credit card debt?
The general rule of thumb is that you shouldn't spend more than 10 percent of your take-home income on credit card debt.
While that certainly isn't a small amount of money, it's not as catastrophic as the amount of debt some people have. In fact, a $1,000 balance may not hurt your credit score all that much. And if you manage to pay it off quickly, you may not even accrue that much interest against it.
$20,000 is a lot of credit card debt and it sounds like you're having trouble making progress,” says Rossman.
Credit card debt in America continues to shatter records. When the Federal Reserve Bank of New York released its Household Debt and Credit Report for the second quarter of 2023, total credit card debt surpassed $1 trillion.
Credit card debt is typically the most expensive debt you can take on. Interest rates on credit cards are typically well into the double-digits and often above 20% — even for people with good credit. By contrast, the best interest rates on student loans, mortgages and personal loans can be well under 10%.
According to the GOBankingRates survey, 28% of Americans under the age of 24 have over $1,000 in credit card debt. Of those under 24 with credit card debt, 16% have debt between $1,001-$2,500, 10% have debt between $2,5001-$7,500 and 2% have debt of over $10,000.
Every cardholder should be aware of balances and spending habits to avoid falling into a cycle of debt. If a cardholder's credit utilization rate is over 30% or the cardholder is accruing interest by not paying off balances, then debt may be too high.
| Age Group | Average Debt | Delinquency Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 18-25 | $8,091 | 1.47% |
| 26-35 | $17,191 | 1.49% |
| 36-45 | $26,048 | 1.11% |
| 46-55 | $32,508 | 0.83% |
Credit card debt is a major source of stress and anxiety for many people, and that stress isn't unique to people in debt. A majority of people experience some form of anxiety over their credit cards.
| FICO® Score range | Percent within range |
|---|---|
| 650-699 | 12% |
| 700-749 | 17% |
| 750-799 | 24% |
| 800-850 | 23% |
How many people in the US have a 700 credit score?
6 in 10 Americans have a FICO score above 700. [Source: Experian] A good credit score can potentially help you save money on your mortgage, car insurance, credit cards and many other things.
How many Americans have an 850 credit score? Only 1.31% of Americans with a FICO® Score have a perfect 850 credit score. While a score this high is rare among any demographic, older generations are more likely to have perfect credit. Baby boomers make up a whopping 59.4% of the people with an 850 credit score.
Elite credit cards that make you feel like a millionaire
These include: The Platinum Card® from American Express: This luxury travel card costs a pretty penny with a $695 annual fee. See rates and fees. But you'll get valuable rewards and perks for that money.
For rich folks, credit cards are a tool to manage their finances and simplify their spending. Credit cards give people a convenient way to spend, and that includes the wealthy. They often use credit cards to make large purchases or to pay for travel and entertainment expenses.
Living on credit cards can't last forever, because eventually you'll reach the end of your credit line. Consider it a stop-gap measure, not a permanent plan. “In a lot of cases, you won't know how long your emergency will last,” says Nitzsche. “It could be a few months, it could be a year.
