Average credit card debt by state
See how average credit card balances compare across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. — and where yours stacks up.
Key takeaway: Average credit card debt varies by roughly 50% between the highest- and lowest-balance states — largely tracking cost of living and typical credit limits, not just spending habits.
Average credit card debt by state
Based on TransUnion credit file data compiled by Lantern by SoFi (published March 12, 2025), the U.S. national average credit card balance was $6,580. Averages by state:
| State | Average balance | | --- | --- | | Alaska | $7,863 | | New Mexico | $7,401 | | Connecticut | $7,381 | | Massachusetts | $7,282 | | Utah | $7,211 | | Florida | $7,548 | | Georgia | $7,112 | | Idaho | $7,107 | | Washington | $7,002 | | Colorado | $6,996 | | New Hampshire | $6,987 | | Hawaii | $6,955 | | North Carolina | $6,809 | | Washington, D.C. | $6,723 | | California | $6,736 | | Delaware | $6,622 | | Michigan | $6,603 | | Indiana | $6,553 | | Arizona | $6,497 | | New Jersey | $6,497 | | South Carolina | $6,419 | | Oregon | $6,145 | | Rhode Island | $6,111 | | Vermont | $6,271 | | Wyoming | $6,227 | | South Dakota | $6,239 | | North Dakota | $6,205 | | Maine | $6,141 | | Texas | $5,993 | | Pennsylvania | $5,986 | | Kentucky | $5,939 | | Mississippi | $5,906 | | Montana | $5,902 | | Ohio | $5,895 | | Nebraska | $5,877 | | Alabama | $5,878 | | Illinois | $5,876 | | Minnesota | $5,787 | | Nevada | $5,811 | | New York | $5,833 | | Oklahoma | $5,759 | | Arkansas | $5,667 | | Virginia | $5,638 | | Maryland | $5,614 | | Tennessee | $5,524 | | Iowa | $5,502 | | Missouri | $5,415 | | West Virginia | $5,348 | | Louisiana | $5,304 | | Wisconsin | $5,242 | | Kansas | $5,227 |
Alaska carries the highest average balance among states in this dataset; Kansas the lowest.
A different study, a different ranking — and that's normal
A separate LendingTree study of Q3 2025 credit reports (over 400,000 users) put the national average balance among cardholders carrying a balance at $7,886 — a different, narrower measure than the TransUnion-based average above, which includes cardholders who pay in full. In LendingTree's data, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland, Hawaii, and Washington, D.C. ranked highest, while Mississippi, Arkansas, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Louisiana ranked lowest — broadly consistent with the pattern above (high cost-of-living states skew higher) even though the exact figures and order differ. That's the norm across debt studies: different underlying data and different definitions of "average" produce different numbers, so treat any single figure as directional rather than a precise personal benchmark.
Why do state averages differ so much?
Average balances track cost of living and typical credit limits more than they track spending discipline. Higher-income, higher-cost states tend to issue higher credit limits and see higher balances in dollar terms, even when cardholders there are no more likely to carry debt than anyone else. If your own balance is above your state's average, that alone isn't a red flag — what matters is whether your current payment actually clears it. Run your own numbers on the credit card payoff calculator, or see what happens if you only make the minimum on the minimum-payment-only calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Why do different sources report different average credit card debt figures?
Studies pull from different underlying data (TransUnion credit files vs. a single lender's user base like LendingTree), cover different time periods, and sometimes measure different things — average balance across all cardholders vs. only cardholders carrying a balance. Treat the exact dollar figure as directional, not a precise personal benchmark.
Does a higher average in my state mean people there are worse with money?
Not necessarily. State averages correlate strongly with local cost of living, typical income, and credit limits — states with higher costs of living and higher average incomes tend to show higher average balances, not necessarily worse financial habits.
Is national average credit card debt the same as average debt among people who carry a balance?
No, and this trips people up. The broader national average includes cardholders who pay their statement in full every month (effectively $0 in interest-bearing debt). Averages limited to cardholders who carry a balance month to month run meaningfully higher, since they exclude everyone paying in full.
Sources
- Lantern by SoFi, Average Credit Card Debt in 2025 (State-By-State Data), based on TransUnion credit file data, published March 12, 2025
- LendingTree, 2026 Credit Card Debt Statistics, Q3 2025 anonymized user credit report data
Last updated 2026-07-01
Written by Centave Editorial Team — Centave's in-house calculator and content team
Reviewed by Centave Accuracy Review on 2026-06-15 — Centave's fact-checking and methodology review process
Not financial advice. This page is for education, not a personal financial recommendation.