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If you’re an adult in the United States, chances are that debt is something that you understand well. In fact, DebtConsolidation’s interactive guide on the subject shows that personal debt in the United States is slowly creeping back to its ten-year high, not seen since 2008. So, how do your debts stack up with the rest of the United States?
Credit Cards
At the moment, the average American in the United States owes between $2,849 and $4,286 in credit card debt. In Mississippi, consumers carry the least credit card debt with $1,850 as the average amount owed per capita. On the other side of the coin, consumers in Alaska carry the highest average credit card balances with about $4,110 owed to credit card companies by the average consumers. Unfortunately, these debts are likely to continue to become more expensive as the cost of credit card debt continues to soar in the United States.
Mortgages
Mortgage debt is the largest total balance owed by the average American with totals owed ranging from $30,602 and $42,732 per capita. When it comes to mortgage debt, Mississippi is in the lead with the lowest totals owed yet again. In Mississippi, the average amount of debt owed through a mortgage per capita comes to $14,570. On the other end of the spectrum, we have Washington D.C. with the average consumer owing $59,270 in mortgage debt. The cost of mortgage debt is rising as well. As the Federal Reserve Bank continues to raise the Federal Funds rate, it is expected that mortgage interest rates will continue to rise.
Auto Loans
In the United States, auto loans are incredibly common, and the average borrower owes between $2,859 and $4,286 on their car. When it comes to auto loan debt, consumers in Wisconsin have the least. In fact, the average consumer in Wisconsin owes $3,340 on their vehicle. When it comes to high balances, Texans take the cake with a total of $6,370 owed per capita on auto loans.
Student Loans
Higher education isn’t free in the United States, and it’s not cheap either. In fact, student loan debt has been the topic of various discussions among thought leaders in the nation. Currently, the average consumer in the United States owes between $2,859 and $4,985 in student loan debt. However, the nation’s capital, Washington D.C. takes the cake when it comes to largest student loans per capita with the average consumer in the capital owing $12,200. Wyoming, on the other hand, has the lowest student loan debt per capita at $3,300.
Total Household Debt
Interestingly, mortgages compare to overall household debt exactly. In fact, in the United States, the average household owes between $30,602 and $42,732 in total debt per borrower. In Washington D.C. debt totals are well above average with the average consumer in the nation’s capital owing $78,180 in total debt. West Virginia, on the other hand, has the lowest overall debt per consumer with just $25,290 owed per capita.
How Did You Stack Up?
How do your debts stack up against national averages? While there are plenty of consumers that owe less or more than the totals mentioned above, these averages are a good gauge of how well you are doing with regard to debt utilization when compared to your peers.