Total Household Debt Was $18.77 trillion in Q2 2026: U.S. Household Debt Statistics
U.S. household debt on credit reports totaled $18.77 trillion in Q2 2026, up $382.5 billion from $18.39 trillion a year earlier, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Credit card balances were $1.26 trillion, up $54 billion from $1.21 trillion a year earlier. Data from the NY Fed and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, updated quarterly.
How Much Household Debt Do Americans Have?
Total U.S. household debt was $18.77 trillion in Q2 2026, according to the NY Fed Household Debt and Credit Report, up $382.5 billion from $18.39 trillion a year earlier. In nominal dollars, it is the third highest of 94 quarterly readings since 2003. The total has been higher than a year earlier for 51 quarters in a row. The total is a nominal stock of balances on the credit reports of people with a Social Security number and a credit report, not new borrowing.
The total is only the headline. The loan types inside it are measured differently. The share of auto loan balances 90 or more days past due was 5.5%, up from 4.99% a year earlier, and the household debt service ratio was 11.1% of disposable income, little changed from 11.2% in Q1 2026. These are some of the measures behind the American Distress Index.
Key Statistics at a Glance
The American Distress Index currently reads 47.0 (Typical). The composite itself sits higher than 44% of all published quarters since 2005. The index does not use total household debt, because a nominal dollar total grows with population, prices and income. It uses rates: its Debt Burden domain uses the debt service ratio, its Delinquency domain uses mortgage, credit card, consumer loan and auto loan delinquency rates, and its Default & Legal domain uses credit card and mortgage charge-off rates. For other measures of household strain, see financial hardship statistics.
How Much Has Household Debt Grown Since 2003?
The quarterly series starts in 2003. Before the 2008 financial crisis, the total peaked at $12.68 trillion in Q3 2008. After the crisis it reached a low of $11.15 trillion in Q2 2013. In Q2 2026 it was $18.77 trillion, up $382.5 billion from $18.39 trillion a year earlier. All of these are nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
The report counts debt that lenders report to Equifax. Buy Now, Pay Later requires a separate measurement: the New York Fed says reported loans may appear in its “other” category while many pay-in-four loans are not reported. That is a coverage gap, but annual BNPL lending cannot be added to this point-in-time household-debt stock.
Total U.S. Household Debt (Quarterly, 2003–Present)
Source: NY Fed Household Debt and Credit Report. Quarterly frequency. Values in USD trillions.
Full data and trend: Total Household Debt time series
Where Do Americans Owe the Most?
Mortgages are the largest category in the New York Fed report. This page imports only the credit card and HELOC balances, so mortgages, auto loans, student loans and other debt are shown together below. The delinquency column comes from four different measures, each compared only with its own earlier reading; the rates are not ranked against each other.
| Category | Balance | Share | Delinquency | Compared With Its Own Earlier Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credit card (balances: NY Fed; delinquency: banks, 30+ days) | $1263B | ~7% | 2.85% | the same as in Q1 2026 |
| HELOC | $459B | ~2% | — | — |
| Mortgage, auto, student and other | $17.0T | ~91% | — | — |
| Mortgage (bank-booked loans, 30+ days) | — | — | 1.86% | the same as in Q1 2026 |
| Auto loan balances (90+ days) | — | — | 5.5% | up from 4.99% in Q2 2025 |
| Student loan balances (90+ days) | — | — | 10.6% | up from 10.16% in Q2 2025 |
Household Debt Composition (Q2 2026)
Source: NY Fed Household Debt and Credit Report. Values in USD trillions.
Which Types of Debt Have the Highest Delinquency?
Each loan type here comes from a different measure, so read them one at a time. The share of student loan balances 90 or more days past due was 10.6%, up from 10.16% a year earlier; it is a balance-level rate rather than a share of borrowers. The share of auto loan balances 90 or more days past due was 5.5%, up from 4.99% a year earlier. Both come from the New York Fed's credit-report panel, are not seasonally adjusted, and keep charged-off balances that lenders still report.
At commercial banks, 2.85% of credit card loans were 30 or more days past due, the same as in Q1 2026. That is the lowest since Q2 2023. Single-family mortgage delinquency at commercial banks was 1.86%, the same as in Q1 2026. Both bank rates come from the Federal Reserve Board, are seasonally adjusted, and drop loans once they are charged off. If you're behind on auto or credit card payments, see your rights when dealing with debt collectors.
Delinquency Rate by Debt Category, Four Different Measures (Q2 2026)
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York Consumer Credit Panel/Equifax (student, auto: share of balances 90+ days); Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System data retrieved via FRED (credit card, mortgage: commercial banks, 30+ days).
Companion pages: Auto Loan Delinquency · Student Loan Defaults · Credit Card Defaults · Mortgage Delinquency
Who Services Mortgage Debt?
A mortgage servicer is the company you pay each month. Our servicer profiles include banks such as Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, U.S. Bank, TD Bank, Capital One, Fifth Third Bank, Regions Bank, and Huntington Bank, credit unions such as Navy Federal and PenFed, and USAA.
Each profile shows the company's CFPB complaint data. See all servicer profiles.
How Much of Each Paycheck Goes to Debt?
The household debt service ratio measures required debt payments as a share of disposable personal income, across all households. It was 11.1% in Q2 2026, little changed from 11.2% in Q1 2026, according to the Federal Reserve Board. It is the lowest reading since Q1 2025. Mortgage payments accounted for 5.8% of disposable income and consumer debt payments for the remainder.
Under the current method, which starts in 2005, the highest reading was 15.8% in Q4 2007. The ratio is an aggregate: it does not show how the payment burden is spread across households, and a household carrying more consumer debt can face a much larger share than the average suggests. The Two-Economy Problem looks at that gap.
Household Debt Service Ratio (Quarterly, 2005–Present)
Source: Federal Reserve data retrieved via FRED (BOGZ1FL010000346Q + TDSP). Quarterly frequency.
Full data: Debt Service Ratio time series · Mortgage Debt Service
Are Homeowners Borrowing Against Their Equity?
Balances on home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) were $458.5 billion in Q2 2026, up $47.5 billion from $411 billion a year earlier, according to the New York Fed. That is the highest since Q4 2016. In its tables, which start in 2003, HELOC balances peaked at $714 billion in Q1 2009 and reached a low of $317 billion in Q1 2022.
The series is the amount drawn and still owed, not the credit available, and it does not include closed-end home equity loans, which the New York Fed counts with mortgages. The New York Fed's release reports the size of the change but does not give a reason for it. HELOCs usually carry variable rates, so their payments can change when rates change; see the HELOC indicator page for the full series and the foreclosure statistics for mortgage distress measures.
Read Different Debt Measures Separately
Mortgage delinquency, credit-card delinquency, credit-card charge-offs, and serious auto-loan delinquency describe different loan populations, thresholds, and denominators. Their aggregate rates provide separate context, but they cannot be ranked as one like-for-like measure or used to identify borrower income, credit quality, or which households appear in more than one series.
The savings rate belongs beside aggregate delinquency when interpreting household debt, but these series do not show which households overlap, and our indicator-pair research has not found a fixed lag from falling savings to debt stress.
Compare the source definitions →Data Sources and Methodology
NY Fed Household Debt & Credit Report
Primary source for total debt, credit card balances, HELOC, auto loan, student loan, and mortgage origination data. Published quarterly, based on the New York Fed Consumer Credit Panel/Equifax, a 5% random sample of individuals with a Social Security number and a credit report. Balances are in nominal dollars.
Board of Governors data retrieved via FRED
Credit card delinquency rate (DRCCLACBS) and single-family mortgage delinquency rate (DRSFRMACBS), compiled from commercial banks' Call Reports and seasonally adjusted, and the household debt service ratio (BOGZ1FL010000346Q + TDSP), a Board estimate of required payments as a share of disposable income.
Delinquency Measures
The NY Fed reports the share of balances 90 or more days delinquent or severely derogatory, from credit reports, including charged-off balances lenders still report. This is a stock, not the separate transition (flow) rate. The Board of Governors series report loans 30 or more days past due or in nonaccrual status as a share of loans on commercial banks' books. Both are balance-based aggregates, but they cover different populations and delinquency thresholds.
American Distress Index
The index uses the debt service ratio (Debt Burden), delinquency rates (Delinquency) and charge-off rates (Default & Legal). Total household debt is not an input. Current score: 47.0. Full methodology → · Printable one-pager →
Frequently Asked Questions
How much total household debt do Americans have in 2026?
Household debt on U.S. credit reports totaled $18.77 trillion in Q2 2026, up $382.5 billion from $18.39 trillion a year earlier, according to the NY Fed Household Debt and Credit Report. In nominal dollars, it is the third highest of 94 quarterly readings since 2003. It covers people with a Social Security number and a credit report, and it is measured in nominal dollars. In the New York Fed report, mortgages are the largest category; the rest is auto loans, student loans, credit cards, HELOCs, and other debt.
What is the biggest category of household debt?
Mortgages are the largest category in the New York Fed report. Credit card balances ($1.26 trillion, about 7% of the total) and HELOCs ($458.5 billion, about 2%) are much smaller; mortgages, auto loans, student loans, and other debt make up the remaining 91%. Size and delinquency are separate questions: each loan type's delinquency rate comes from its own measure.
What is the current auto loan delinquency rate?
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York reports that 5.5% of auto loan and lease balances were 90 or more days past due in Q2 2026, up from 4.99% a year earlier. Of 94 quarterly readings since 2003, it is the second highest.
How much credit card debt do Americans have?
Credit card balances on U.S. credit reports were $1.26 trillion in Q2 2026, up $54 billion from $1.21 trillion a year earlier, according to the New York Fed. In nominal dollars, that is the second highest of 94 quarterly readings since 2003. The total is the statement balance, so it includes charges that people who pay in full will clear. Separately, 2.85% of credit card loans at commercial banks were 30 or more days past due, the same as in Q1 2026, according to the Federal Reserve Board.
Is household debt a leading indicator of financial crisis?
We don't treat it as one. Total household debt is a nominal dollar total, so over long periods it grows with population, prices and income. The American Distress Index does not use it; it uses rates instead, including the debt service ratio (11.1% of disposable income in Q2 2026), delinquency rates and charge-off rates.