Guide
Last updated: 3 November 2026. A data study ranking every state by average credit card balance per person, built from Federal Reserve Bank of New York data. It is educational content, not financial advice. For personal decisions, consider a licensed financial advisor or a nonprofit credit counselor.
Americans owed 1.263 trillion dollars on credit cards at the end of June 2026, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. That national total hides wide gaps between states. This study ranks every state by average credit card debt by state, measured as average balance per person, using the New York Fed's own state level data. The District of Columbia sits at the top at 5,500 dollars per person. Mississippi sits at the bottom at 3,030 dollars. That is a 2,470 dollar gap between two places in the same country, on the same payment networks, under the same federal rules.
Why rank states at all? Because averages lie by omission. A national average tells you the country is borrowing more. A state ranking tells you where the pressure concentrates, which is the version of the story that matters if you live in one of those states, lend in one, or report on one. Every figure below comes from the same source and the same quarter, so the comparisons are apples to apples.
Balances are average credit card debt per person with a credit file, fourth quarter of 2025. The national average is 4,350 dollars.
| State | Average balance per person | Compared to national average |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $5,500 | $1,150 above average |
| Alaska | $5,250 | $900 above average |
| Hawaii | $5,220 | $870 above average |
| New Jersey | $5,160 | $810 above average |
| Maryland | $5,090 | $740 above average |
| Nevada | $5,060 | $710 above average |
| Florida | $5,050 | $700 above average |
| California | $5,000 | $650 above average |
| Connecticut | $4,960 | $610 above average |
| Colorado | $4,910 | $560 above average |
| New York | $4,820 | $470 above average |
| Virginia | $4,770 | $420 above average |
| Massachusetts | $4,650 | $300 above average |
| Washington | $4,640 | $290 above average |
| Texas | $4,620 | $270 above average |
| Georgia | $4,610 | $260 above average |
| Arizona | $4,530 | $180 above average |
| Delaware | $4,520 | $170 above average |
| New Hampshire | $4,500 | $150 above average |
| Rhode Island | $4,490 | $140 above average |
| Illinois | $4,260 | $90 below average |
| Utah | $4,260 | $90 below average |
| North Carolina | $4,160 | $190 below average |
| South Carolina | $4,090 | $260 below average |
| Oregon | $4,030 | $320 below average |
| Minnesota | $3,990 | $360 below average |
| Wyoming | $3,990 | $360 below average |
| North Dakota | $3,970 | $380 below average |
| Pennsylvania | $3,950 | $400 below average |
| Idaho | $3,870 | $480 below average |
| Montana | $3,850 | $500 below average |
| Vermont | $3,790 | $560 below average |
| Maine | $3,760 | $590 below average |
| Tennessee | $3,710 | $640 below average |
| Kansas | $3,670 | $680 below average |
| Michigan | $3,670 | $680 below average |
| Nebraska | $3,650 | $700 below average |
| Louisiana | $3,610 | $740 below average |
| Ohio | $3,560 | $790 below average |
| Missouri | $3,550 | $800 below average |
| South Dakota | $3,530 | $820 below average |
| New Mexico | $3,520 | $830 below average |
| Oklahoma | $3,460 | $890 below average |
| Indiana | $3,410 | $940 below average |
| Alabama | $3,400 | $950 below average |
| Wisconsin | $3,400 | $950 below average |
| Arkansas | $3,310 | $1,040 below average |
| Iowa | $3,250 | $1,100 below average |
| West Virginia | $3,180 | $1,170 below average |
| Kentucky | $3,140 | $1,210 below average |
| Mississippi | $3,030 | $1,320 below average |
Puerto Rico is marked n/a because the New York Fed series for Puerto Rico ends in 2016.
The District of Columbia carries the highest average at 5,500 dollars per person, about 26 percent above the national average. Alaska is next at 5,250 dollars, followed by Hawaii at 5,220 dollars. High cost coastal states cluster near the top, with New Jersey at 5,160 dollars and Maryland at 5,090 dollars completing the top five.
Mississippi carries the lowest average at 3,030 dollars per person, about 30 percent below the national average. Kentucky at 3,140 dollars, West Virginia at 3,180 dollars, Iowa at 3,250 dollars and Arkansas at 3,310 dollars complete the bottom five. Southern and Midwestern states cluster near the bottom.
The gap between the highest and lowest is 2,470 dollars per person. The national average of 4,350 dollars is up about 4 percent from 4,180 dollars in the fourth quarter of 2024.
Three forces explain most of the spread. First, cost of living. Places where housing, food and transport cost more push more everyday spending onto cards, and the balances reflect it. The coastal cluster at the top of the table is not a coincidence. Second, incomes. Higher income states can carry higher balances without distress, which is why a high average is not automatically a crisis signal. Third, access to credit. States with deeper banking footprints and higher limits mechanically allow larger balances.
What the table cannot tell you is who is struggling. A 5,000 dollar average in a high income state with strong savings may be manageable. A 3,500 dollar average where incomes are low and savings are thin may be crushing. Averages describe balances, not burdens. If your own balance feels heavy regardless of where your state ranks, our credit card payoff calculator turns your exact numbers into a payoff timeline.
State figures come from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York State Level Household Debt Statistics 2003 to 2025, released February 2026. The figures cover the fourth quarter of 2025 and measure credit card debt balance per person, based on a 5 percent sample of Equifax credit files for consumers age 18 and over with a credit file. The New York Fed notes these figures are subject to sampling variation. State level figures are published once a year as fourth quarter snapshots, which is why this study uses fourth quarter 2025 rather than a 2026 quarter.
National context comes from the New York Fed Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit for the second quarter of 2026, released August 11 2026, which put total credit card balances at 1.263 trillion dollars. The average interest rate context comes from the Federal Reserve G.19 Consumer Credit release of September 8 2026, which put the average rate on credit card accounts assessed interest at 22.15 percent for the second quarter of 2026. All figures are estimates for education only and are not financial advice.
The New York Fed publishes state level figures once a year, covering the fourth quarter. The next refresh will be fourth quarter 2026 data, expected around February 2027. National quarterly figures update with each Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit. This page will be updated when new data releases.
The state figures come from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York State Level Household Debt Statistics, which draws on a 5 percent sample of Equifax credit files. It is the most authoritative public source for state level household debt in the United States.
The New York Fed publishes state level figures only once a year, as fourth quarter snapshots. Fourth quarter 2025 is the latest state release. National totals update quarterly, which is why the 1.263 trillion dollar national figure is from the second quarter of 2026.
The New York Fed publishes a District of Columbia series, so it is included and ranked. Its Puerto Rico series ends in 2016, so there is no current figure to report. We mark it n/a rather than guessing.
Not necessarily. Balances reflect cost of living, incomes and credit access as well as distress. A high average in a high income state may be manageable, while a lower average elsewhere may still strain household budgets. The table measures balances, not burdens.
When the New York Fed releases new state level data, expected around February 2027 for fourth quarter 2026 figures. National context updates each quarter with the Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit.