Debts of all shapes and sizes are on the rise in the United States.

A recent report found that while credit card debt is on the rise, it’s not necessarily because people are spending more. Instead, the rise in debt is being blamed on a society in which more people are heavily indebted by expenses such as housing and college tuition.

Nearly 197 million Americans, or about 79 percent of U.S. adults, have at least one credit card with an average debt of around $5,234.

While credit card debt is not the largest form of debt in the nation – that honor goes to student loans with $1.52 trillion in outstanding debt – credit card debt has reached a new high: $1.03 trillion in the U.S. alone.

Given Americans today have 52 percent more debt than they did in the last decade, we were curious: Is the credit card debt epidemic affecting any region, age group, income range, race or gender more than the others?

American Debt (The Impacts of American Credit Card Debt)

Demographics of Credit Card Debt 

Based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Federal Reserve, researchers have found more than 40 percent of all U.S. households (41.2 percent) carry some form of credit card debt.

The average amount of credit card debt per U.S. household is about $7,697.

Age

• Americans aged 45 to 54 years old typically have the highest amount of credit card debt – around $9,096.
• Millennials (35 years and younger) and older Americans (75 years and older) have the least amount of credit card debt.
• Researchers attribute this finding to millennials and seniors being less likely to have a credit card than other age groups.

Gender

Men were found to have about 22 percent more credit card debt than women, owing an average of $7,407 compared to $5,245 owed by their female counterparts.

Reports indicate one reason women have less credit card debt is because they are more likely to use a debit card for a financial transaction than a credit card.

Additionally, women tend to purchase smaller items, while men tend to be bigger spenders when using plastic.

What do we mean by small transactions?

A 2013 survey of credit card consumer habits found that while 19 percent of men surveyed reported they would spend $2,000 or more per month on their credit card, just 8 percent of female respondents reported they would spend that much on a monthly basis.

Income

• Americans earning the largest salaries ($160,000 and more) have the most credit card debt averaging about $11,200 per household.
• On the other end of the spectrum, those earning less than $24,999 have an average of $3,000 in credit card debt.
• While those with a higher income typically have higher total debt amounts, the percentage of their income that is owed is much less for those higher earners.

Race

• White households with no Hispanic origin reported the largest amount of debt per household ($7,942), followed by Asians ($7,660).
• Hispanic households reported the second-lowest debt per household ($6,469).
• Black households have the least amount of credit card debt with an average of $6,172, which researchers note is 20 percent lower than the nationwide average.

Debt in America: A State-by-State View

The five U.S. states with the largest amount of credit card debt include:

1. Alaska
2. Wyoming
3. Utah
4. California
5. Montana.

The five U.S. states with the least amount of credit card debt include:

1. Ohio
2. South Carolina
3. Maine
4. Pennsylvania
5. Michigan
6. Rhode Island

To see how your state fares when it comes to the credit card debt epidemic, we’ve listed the average household debt as of June 2018 per state below. We’ve also included information for how each state’s debt load compares to others, including Washington, D.C.

• Alabama:

The average credit card debt per household in Alabama in 2018 is about $7,105. This ranks Alabama 29^th in the U.S. for the greatest amount of debt.

• Alaska:

The average credit card debt per household in Alaska in 2018 is about $13,048. This ranks Alaska first in the U.S. for the greatest amount of debt.

• Arizona:

The average credit card debt per household in Arizona in 2018 is about $7,100. This ranks Arizona 30^th in the U.S. for the greatest amount of debt.

• Arkansas:

The average credit card debt per household in Arkansas in 2018 is about $6,747. This ranks Arkansas 37^th in the U.S. for the greatest amount of debt.

• California:

The average credit card debt per household in California in 2018 is about $10,496. This ranks California fourth in the U.S. for the greatest amount of debt.

• Colorado:

The average credit card debt per household in Colorado in 2018 is about $9,108. This ranks Colorado seventh in the U.S. for the greatest amount of debt.

• Connecticut:

The average credit card debt per household in Connecticut in 2018 is about $7,304. This ranks Connecticut 23^rd in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Delaware:

The average credit card debt per household in Delaware in 2018 is about $7,158. This ranks Delaware 28^th in the U.S. for the greatest amount of debt.

• District of Columbia:

The average credit card debt per household in Washington, D.C. in 2018 is about $8,291. This ranks the Nation’s Capital as 14^th in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Florida:

The average credit card debt per household in Florida in 2018 is about $8,444. This puts Florida as 12^th in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Georgia:

The average credit card debt per household in Georgia in 2018 is about $7,090. This ranks Georgia as 31^st in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Hawaii:

The average credit card debt per household in Hawaii in 2018 is about $8,315. This ranks Hawaii as 13^th in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Idaho:

The average credit card debt per household in Idaho in 2018 is about $8,570. This ranks Idaho as tenth in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Illinois:

The average credit card debt per household in Illinois in 2018 is about $7,278. This ranks Illinois 24^th in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Indiana:

The average credit card debt per household in Indiana in 2018 is about $6,958. This ranks Indiana as 34^th in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Iowa:

The average credit card debt per household in Iowa in 2018 is about $6,696. This ranks Iowa as 38^th in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Kansas:

The average credit card debt per household in Kansas in 2018 is about $7,040. This ranks Kansas as 33^rd in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Kentucky:

The average credit card debt per household in Kentucky in 2018 is about $7,190. This ranks Kentucky as 27^th in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Louisiana:

The average credit card debt per household in Louisiana in 2018 is about $7,260. This ranks Louisiana as 25^th in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Maine:

The average credit card debt per household in Maine in 2018 is about $5,803. This puts Maine at 49^th in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Maryland:

The average credit card debt per household in Maryland in 2018 is about $7,913. This ranks Maryland as 18^th in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Massachusetts:

The average credit card debt per household in Massachusetts in 2018 is about $6,277. This ranks Massachusetts as 43^rd in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Michigan:

The average credit card debt per household in Michigan in 2018 is about $6,082. This ranks Michigan as 47^th in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Minnesota:

The average credit card debt per household in Minnesota in 2018 is about $6,761. This ranks Minnesota as 36^th in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Mississippi:

The average credit card debt per household in Mississippi in 2018 is about $6,673. This ranks Mississippi as 39^th in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Missouri:

The average credit card debt per household in Missouri in 2018 is about $6,491. This ranks Missouri as 41^st in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Montana:

The average credit card debt per household in Montana in 2018 is about $9,759. This ranks Montana as fifth in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Nebraska:

The average credit card debt per household in Nebraska in 2018 is about $6,180. This ranks Nebraska as 45^th in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Nevada:

The average credit card debt per household in Nevada in 2018 is about $7,871. This ranks Nevada as 19^th in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• New Hampshire:

The average credit card debt per household in New Hampshire in 2018 is about $6,838. This ranks New Hampshire as 35^th in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• New Jersey:

The average credit card debt per household in New Jersey in 2018 is about $9,454. This ranks New Jersey as sixth in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• New Mexico:

The average credit card debt per household in New Mexico in 2018 is about $7,952. This ranks New Mexico as 17^th in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• New York:

The average credit card debt per household in New York in 2018 is about $8,764. This ranks New York as eighth in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• North Carolina:

The average credit card debt per household in North Carolina in 2018 is about $7,225. This ranks North Carolina as 26^th in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• North Dakota:

The average credit card debt per household in North Dakota in 2018 is about $8,450. This ranks North Dakota as 11^th in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Ohio:

The average credit card debt per household in Ohio in 2018 is about $5,446. This ranks Ohio as 51^st in the nation (including Washington, D.C.) for the greatest amount of debt.

• Oklahoma:

The average credit card debt per household in Oklahoma in 2018 is about $8,059. This ranks Oklahoma as 16^th in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Oregon:

The average credit card debt per household in Oregon in 2018 is about $8,619. This ranks Oregon as ninth in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Pennsylvania:

The average credit card debt per household in Pennsylvania in 2018 is about $6,065. This ranks Pennsylvania as 48^th in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Rhode Island:

The average credit card debt per household in Rhode Island in 2018 is about $6,104. This ranks Rhode Island as 46^th in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• South Carolina:

The average credit card debt per household in South Carolina in 2018 is about $5,801. This ranks South Carolina as 50^th in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• South Dakota:

The average credit card debt per household in South Dakota in 2018 is about $7,362. This ranks South Dakota as 22^nd in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Tennessee:

The average credit card debt per household in Tennessee in 2018 is about $6,217. This ranks Tennessee as 44^th in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Texas:

The average credit card debt per household in Texas in 2018 is about $7,692. This ranks Texas as 21^st in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Utah:

The average credit card debt per household in Utah in 2018 is about $11,222. This puts Utah third in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Vermont:

The average credit card debt per household in Vermont in 2018 is about $6,545. This ranks Vermont as 40^th in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Virginia:

The average credit card debt per household in Virginia in 2018 is about $7,867. This ranks Virginia as 20^th in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Washington:

The average credit card debt per household in Washington in 2018 is about $8,108. This puts Washington as 15^th in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• West Virginia:

The average credit card debt per household in West Virginia in 2018 is about $7,090. This ranks West Virginia as 32^nd in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Wisconsin:

The average credit card debt per household in Wisconsin in 2018 is about $6,484. This ranks Wisconsin as 42^nd in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.

• Wyoming:

The average credit card debt per household in Wyoming in 2018 is about $11,546. This ranks Wyoming as second in the nation for the greatest amount of debt.