State of US Household Debt 2026
Original research by CalcHubb Financial Team — sourced from Federal Reserve, New York Fed, CFPB & Dept. of Education
Key Findings
What the data shows
Total US household debt reaches $18.8 trillion in Q1 2026
Driven by sustained mortgage originations, persistent credit card growth, and resumed student loan payments.
Source: Federal Reserve Financial Accounts (Z.1), Q1 2026
Mortgages account for 70% of all household debt
Mortgage balances crossed $13.2 trillion as home prices held above pre-pandemic levels in most metros.
Source: New York Fed Household Debt and Credit Report, Q1 2026
Credit card debt crosses $1.5 trillion — a record high
Revolving credit usage grew 6.4% YoY as consumers absorb persistent inflation in essentials.
Source: Federal Reserve G.19 Consumer Credit Report, March 2026
Student loan delinquency rates rise post-moratorium
With repayment fully resumed, 90+ day delinquency rates hit 3.0% nationally in Q1 2026.
Source: Department of Education, FSA Data, March 2026
California and Texas account for ~27% of national household debt
High-population states dominate absolute totals, but per-capita debt is highest in DC, MA, and NJ.
Source: Census Bureau + Fed Household Debt Data
Breakdown
Household Debt by Category
Geographic Analysis
Debt by State — Interactive Dashboard
Filter by state name and sort by any column to explore the top 10 states by total debt plus the five states with the lowest debt burden.
| #1 | California | $2.80T | $72,000 | 2.1% |
| #2 | Texas | $2.20T | $74,000 | 2.3% |
| #3 | New York | $1.90T | $98,000 | 2% |
| #4 | Florida | $1.70T | $77,000 | 2.4% |
| #5 | Illinois | $1.10T | $86,000 | 2.2% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | $980B | $77,000 | 1.9% |
| #7 | Ohio | $890B | $76,000 | 2% |
| #8 | Georgia | $850B | $78,000 | 2.5% |
| #9 | North Carolina | $820B | $78,000 | 2.1% |
| #10 | Michigan | $760B | $76,000 | 2% |
| #46 | Iowa | $180B | $57,000 | 1.4% |
| #47 | Vermont | $42B | $67,000 | 1.3% |
| #48 | Wyoming | $38B | $66,000 | 1.2% |
| #49 | Alaska | $52B | $71,000 | 1.5% |
| #50 | North Dakota | $48B | $63,000 | 1.1% |
Longitudinal View
Historical Debt Trends
US household debt growth from 2020 to 2026, segmented by major category.
Methodology
How we built this report
Data sourced from the Federal Reserve Financial Accounts (Z.1), the New York Fed's Household Debt and Credit Report, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Quarterly Consumer Credit Card Market Report, and the Department of Education Federal Student Aid data. State-level estimates are calculated using Census Bureau population data applied to national per-capita debt ratios. All figures are approximations based on publicly available data as of Q1 2026.
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