Household Debt by State, Q4 2025: District of Columbia Highest at $102,400 per Adult With a Credit File
In Q4 2025, District of Columbia had the highest total debt per adult with a credit file at $102,400, against $63,200 nationally, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York Consumer Credit Panel / Equifax. 8 of 51 jurisdictions (the 50 states and DC) were above the national figure on four or more of the five metrics on this page.
Data period: Q4 2025 ·
Which States Have the Most Household Debt?
The states ranked highest on total debt per adult with a credit file are District of Columbia ($102,400), Colorado ($92,690), and California ($87,850). The national figure is $63,200.
High debt and high delinquency are not interchangeable. 8 jurisdictions are above the national figure on four or more of the five metrics tracked here: credit-card, auto-loan, and mortgage balance delinquency, total debt per credit-file adult, and credit-card balance per credit-file adult. That overlap describes state aggregates; it does not identify the same borrowers, their payment order, or why any measure is high. The American Distress Index tracks 105 indicators nationwide using its separate published methodology.
At a Glance
The American Distress Index reads 47.0 (Typical). The composite itself sits higher than 44% of all published quarters since 2005. This page compares state aggregates with national figures. A state appearing near the top of several lists is an observed overlap, not proof of a structural cause, a common set of borrowers, or a forecast. See the index methodology for the separate composite calculation.
How Far Apart Are the Highest and Lowest State Rates?
In Q4 2025, Nevada had the highest credit-card balance-delinquency rate at 16.3%, and Wisconsin had the lowest at 8.0%. Those are two state aggregates; they are not a household comparison or evidence that another historical credit cycle is repeating.
Credit Card Delinquency: 10 Highest vs. 10 Lowest States (Q4 2025)
Source: NY Fed Consumer Credit Panel / Equifax. Delinquency = 90+ days past due as share of balances.
Which States Have Both High Debt and High Delinquency?
District of Columbia has $102,400 in total debt per credit-file adult. Its credit-card balance-delinquency rate is 11.2%, 1.2 percentage points below the U.S. rate of 12.4%. Showing the measures together does not reveal why the debt was incurred, whether the same people are delinquent, or whether borrowing funds assets or current expenses.
Total Debt per Credit-File Adult (10 Highest States) with Credit Card Delinquency
Source: NY Fed Consumer Credit Panel / Equifax. Q4 2025.
National debt trends: Consumer Debt Statistics
Which States Had the Largest Change in Debt per Person Since Q4 2019?
In the New York Fed's state table, national total debt per credit-file adult was $51,580 in Q4 2019 and $63,200 in Q4 2025. The state figure was higher than in Q4 2019 in 51 of 51 jurisdictions. Utah had the largest dollar change in this table: $83,350 in Q4 2025, up $21,260 (34.2%) from $62,090 in Q4 2019. These are dollar amounts not adjusted for inflation. Debt change and delinquency are different measures. Reading them together can identify places with both high balances and high delinquency, but it does not identify the same borrowers, explain why balances changed, or create a countdown to another form of default.
Change in Total Debt per Credit-File Adult, 2019–2025 (States Ranked Top 15 by Dollar Change, Ties Included)
Source: NY Fed Consumer Credit Panel / Equifax. Q4 2019 vs Q4 2025. Nominal dollars. Changes and ranks: American Default Research calculation.
Which States Have the Highest Auto Loan Delinquency?
District of Columbia has the highest auto-loan delinquency rate in this table at 13.6%, and Massachusetts has the lowest at 2.6%. That state-level ranking does not establish which obligation an individual borrower prioritizes, whether a household has used its savings, or which debt might become delinquent next.
Auto Loan Delinquency Rate — 10 Highest States (Q4 2025)
Source: NY Fed Consumer Credit Panel / Equifax. Delinquency = 90+ days past due.
National auto loan trend: Auto Loan Serious Delinquency Rate time series
State Rankings: Top 10
Rankings across four separately measured metrics; tied states share a rank. Appearing in more than one list is an aggregate overlap, not a household-level distress classification.
Highest Credit Card Delinquency
| # | State | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | 16.3% |
| 2 | Florida | 14.9% |
| 3 | Louisiana | 14.2% |
| 3 | Texas | 14.2% |
| 5 | Georgia | 13.9% |
| 6 | Arkansas | 13.8% |
| 7 | West Virginia | 13.7% |
| 7 | Arizona | 13.7% |
| 9 | Mississippi | 13.4% |
| 9 | South Carolina | 13.4% |
Highest Auto Loan Delinquency
| # | State | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 13.6% |
| 2 | Mississippi | 7.7% |
| 3 | Georgia | 7.0% |
| 4 | Alabama | 6.6% |
| 4 | Louisiana | 6.6% |
| 6 | Indiana | 6.3% |
| 6 | Michigan | 6.3% |
| 8 | South Carolina | 6.2% |
| 8 | Nevada | 6.2% |
| 10 | Delaware | 6.1% |
| 10 | New Mexico | 6.1% |
| 10 | North Carolina | 6.1% |
Highest Mortgage Delinquency
| # | State | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louisiana | 1.83% |
| 2 | Mississippi | 1.71% |
| 3 | Florida | 1.43% |
| 4 | New York | 1.36% |
| 5 | Oklahoma | 1.32% |
| 6 | Georgia | 1.27% |
| 7 | Texas | 1.21% |
| 8 | Alabama | 1.15% |
| 8 | Illinois | 1.15% |
| 8 | South Carolina | 1.15% |
| 8 | West Virginia | 1.15% |
Highest Total Debt per Credit-File Adult
| # | State | Debt |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $102.4k |
| 2 | Colorado | $92.7k |
| 3 | California | $87.8k |
| 4 | Washington | $85.9k |
| 5 | Hawaii | $83.5k |
| 6 | Utah | $83.3k |
| 7 | Maryland | $81.4k |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $77.4k |
| 9 | Virginia | $77.1k |
| 10 | Nevada | $71.3k |
All States: Five Debt & Delinquency Metrics
The complete dataset for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Each state links to its foreclosure law guide. Delinquency rates are percentages of balances 90+ days past due. Debt and balance figures are per adult with a credit file.
Download full dataset (CSV)| State | CC Delinq % | Auto Delinq % | Mortgage Delinq % | Total Debt/Adult | CC Balance/Adult |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 12.2 | 6.6 | 1.15 | $48,910 | $3,400 |
| Alaska | 9.8 | 2.9 | 0.72 | $69,460 | $5,250 |
| Arizona | 13.7 | 5.6 | 0.94 | $70,850 | $4,530 |
| Arkansas | 13.8 | 5.6 | 1.08 | $43,090 | $3,310 |
| California | 13.2 | 4.8 | 0.63 | $87,850 | $5,000 |
| Colorado | 11.1 | 4.0 | 0.75 | $92,690 | $4,910 |
| Connecticut | 10.5 | 3.1 | 0.97 | $67,530 | $4,960 |
| Delaware | 12.2 | 6.1 | 1.13 | $66,170 | $4,520 |
| District of Columbia | 11.2 | 13.6 | 1.01 | $102,400 | $5,500 |
| Florida | 14.9 | 5.5 | 1.43 | $61,890 | $5,050 |
| Georgia | 13.9 | 7.0 | 1.27 | $62,070 | $4,610 |
| Hawaii | 10.2 | 3.7 | 0.56 | $83,480 | $5,220 |
| Idaho | 9.5 | 3.3 | 0.74 | $69,450 | $3,870 |
| Illinois | 11.6 | 5.6 | 1.15 | $54,050 | $4,260 |
| Indiana | 11.7 | 6.3 | 1.10 | $49,330 | $3,410 |
| Iowa | 10.3 | 3.5 | 0.81 | $47,410 | $3,250 |
| Kansas | 10.7 | 4.0 | 0.82 | $46,720 | $3,670 |
| Kentucky | 11.8 | 4.9 | 1.04 | $43,160 | $3,140 |
| Louisiana | 14.2 | 6.6 | 1.83 | $48,250 | $3,610 |
| Maine | 9.8 | 3.1 | 0.84 | $53,360 | $3,760 |
| Maryland | 11.7 | 6.0 | 1.11 | $81,390 | $5,090 |
| Massachusetts | 10.3 | 2.6 | 0.72 | $77,400 | $4,650 |
| Michigan | 11.3 | 6.3 | 0.86 | $48,050 | $3,670 |
| Minnesota | 8.6 | 3.0 | 0.63 | $63,860 | $3,990 |
| Mississippi | 13.4 | 7.7 | 1.71 | $41,450 | $3,030 |
| Missouri | 11.4 | 5.6 | 0.84 | $49,420 | $3,550 |
| Montana | 9.8 | 4.0 | 0.50 | $58,390 | $3,850 |
| Nebraska | 9.8 | 3.3 | 0.65 | $49,530 | $3,650 |
| Nevada | 16.3 | 6.2 | 0.86 | $71,260 | $5,060 |
| New Hampshire | 9.8 | 3.0 | 0.61 | $66,480 | $4,500 |
| New Jersey | 11.4 | 4.2 | 1.12 | $69,550 | $5,160 |
| New Mexico | 11.9 | 6.1 | 1.01 | $49,260 | $3,520 |
| New York | 12.9 | 4.3 | 1.36 | $59,420 | $4,820 |
| North Carolina | 12.5 | 6.1 | 0.89 | $61,070 | $4,160 |
| North Dakota | 9.0 | 2.9 | 0.94 | $53,300 | $3,970 |
| Ohio | 11.1 | 5.3 | 0.96 | $46,780 | $3,560 |
| Oklahoma | 13.3 | 5.5 | 1.32 | $43,170 | $3,460 |
| Oregon | 9.5 | 3.6 | 0.64 | $69,640 | $4,030 |
| Pennsylvania | 12.3 | 4.8 | 1.10 | $50,360 | $3,950 |
| Rhode Island | 11.4 | 3.5 | 1.00 | $60,090 | $4,490 |
| South Carolina | 13.4 | 6.2 | 1.15 | $59,460 | $4,090 |
| South Dakota | 9.1 | 3.7 | 0.79 | $52,270 | $3,530 |
| Tennessee | 11.6 | 5.7 | 0.72 | $56,690 | $3,710 |
| Texas | 14.2 | 5.8 | 1.21 | $60,020 | $4,620 |
| Utah | 9.5 | 3.0 | 0.70 | $83,350 | $4,260 |
| Vermont | 9.0 | 2.8 | 0.62 | $52,910 | $3,790 |
| Virginia | 9.9 | 4.6 | 0.65 | $77,060 | $4,770 |
| Washington | 9.3 | 3.8 | 0.57 | $85,880 | $4,640 |
| West Virginia | 13.7 | 5.3 | 1.15 | $37,850 | $3,180 |
| Wisconsin | 8.0 | 3.6 | 0.47 | $49,210 | $3,400 |
| Wyoming | 10.5 | 3.5 | 0.76 | $57,120 | $3,990 |
| National | 12.4 | 5.2 | 0.94 | $63,200 | $4,350 |
Delinquency rates in red are above the national rate. State names link to foreclosure law guides. Ranks and the comparisons with the national figures are American Default Research calculations from the New York Fed figures.
Where the Two Top-Fifteen Lists Overlap
The intersection of the top 15 (ties included) for total debt per credit-file adult and the top 15 for credit-card balance delinquency contains 3 states: California, Nevada, Arizona in Q4 2025. The overlap does not establish household repayment capacity, common borrowers, causation, or which obligation became delinquent first. See the State Distress Rankings for the separately defined composite methodology.
Data Sources
NY Fed Consumer Credit Panel
All figures from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's nationally representative 5% sample of Equifax consumer credit reports. State-level snapshots represent Q4 (year-end) data published annually, and the New York Fed notes they are subject to sampling variation.
Delinquency Definition
Delinquency rates measure balances 90+ days past due as a percentage of total balances in each loan category. Per-person figures use the adult population with a credit file, not total state population.
Citation
State Level Household Debt Statistics 2003-2025, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, February 2026. For more granular credit card analysis, see Consumer Debt by State and Credit Card Default Statistics.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which state has the highest credit card delinquency rate?
Nevada has the highest state credit-card balance-delinquency rate at 16.3% as of Q4 2025. The national rate is 12.4%. The state ranking does not establish why rates differ.
Which state has the most household debt per capita?
District of Columbia has the highest total debt per adult with a credit file at $102,400 in Q4 2025. That aggregate is not an average balance for every resident and does not identify repayment capacity or why balances are high.
What is the average household debt in the United States?
In the New York Fed's state table, total debt per adult with a credit file is $63,200 nationally as of Q4 2025. In Q4 2019 it was $51,580, in dollars not adjusted for inflation. This figure includes mortgages, auto loans, credit cards, student loans, and other consumer credit.
Which states have the highest auto loan delinquency?
The states ranked highest on auto loan delinquency are District of Columbia (13.6%), Mississippi (7.7%), and Georgia (7.0%). The national rate is 5.2%. These are state-level balance delinquency rates; they do not establish an individual borrower's payment order or show that a credit-card payment was missed first.
How does state debt connect to the American Distress Index?
The American Distress Index is a national composite built from national series; the state rows on this page are not index inputs. State scores come from the separately documented State Distress Index. This page's cross-list overlaps are descriptive and do not establish a structural cause, identify the same borrowers, or predict another form of default. The index currently reads 47.0 (Typical). The composite itself sits higher than 44% of all published quarters since 2005.