Personal debt in the U.S. - statistics & facts

Personal debt, a term similar to consumer debt, is used in economics to denote the outstanding debt of consumers as opposed to businesses or governments. Unlike public and corporate debt, personal debt is amassed primarily through consumption rather than investment. Households tend to incur debt through various types of lending, which are typically used for the acquisition of a home, or a car, as well as to finance studies. However, consumer lending is also used to pay for smaller purchases, such as goods that do not appreciate value and are consumable. Apart from traditional loans, buy now, pay later (BNPL) services also are a source of debt for many consumers.

U.S. public debt as share of GDP: 97%

U.S. household debt as share of GDP: 76.8%

Share of U.S. non-performing loans held by banks: 0.9%

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Average value of student loan debt held in the United States in 2021, by generation (in U.S. dollars)

Savings & Debt

Average student loan debt in the U.S. 2021, by generation

Leading sources of debt among consumers in the United States from 2017 to 2022

Savings & Debt

Main source of debt among consumers in the U.S. 2017-2022

Savings & Debt

Average credit card debt in the United States in 2021, by age

Recommended statistics

Overview

Basic Statistic Household debt to GDP ratio in the U.S. 2014-2022
Household debt to GDP ratio in the U.S. 2014-2022
Household debt to GDP ratio in the United States from 1st quarter 2011 to 3rd quarter 2022
Basic Statistic Household debt service payments as a share of disposable income in the U.S. 2011-2022
Household debt service payments as a share of disposable income in the U.S. 2011-2022
Household debt service payments as a share of disposable personal income in the United States from 3rd quarter 2011 to 3rd quarter 2022
Premium Statistic Value of household debt in the U.S. 2022, by type
Value of household debt in the U.S. 2022, by type
Value of household debt in the United States as of 2nd quarter 2022, by type (in trillion U.S. dollars)
Basic Statistic Total average debt in the U.S. in 2021, by generation
Total average debt in the U.S. in 2021, by generation
Total average debt in the United States in 2021, by generation (in U.S. dollars)

Overall consumer lending

Basic Statistic Consumer credit debt of households and nonprofit organizations in the U.S. 2011-2022
Consumer credit debt of households and nonprofit organizations in the U.S. 2011-2022
Consumer credit debt of households and nonprofit organizations in the United States from 1st quarter 2011 to 3rd quarter 2022 (in trillion U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Average consumer debt in the U.S. 2010-2021
Average consumer debt in the U.S. 2010-2021
Average consumer debt balance in the United States from 2010 to 2021 (in U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Amount of personal debt held in the U.S. 2018-2021
Amount of personal debt held in the U.S. 2018-2021
Average volume of personal debt other than mortgage held in the United States from 2018 to 2021 (in U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Main source of debt among consumers in the U.S. 2017-2022
Main source of debt among consumers in the U.S. 2017-2022
Leading sources of debt among consumers in the United States from 2017 to 2022

Mortgage debt

Basic Statistic Home mortgage debt of households and nonprofit organizations U.S. 2012-2022
Home mortgage debt of households and nonprofit organizations U.S. 2012-2022
Home mortgage debt of households and nonprofit organizations in the United States from 1st quarter 2012 to 3rd quarter 2022 (in trillion U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Average mortgage loan amount for home purchases in the U.S. 2012-2021
Average mortgage loan amount for home purchases in the U.S. 2012-2021
Average mortgage loan amount for home purchases in the United States from 2012 to 2021 (in U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Mortgage down payment for home purchase in the U.S. 2012-2021
Mortgage down payment for home purchase in the U.S. 2012-2021
Median mortgage down payment for home purchase in the United States from 2012 to 2021 (in U.S. dollars)

Car loan debt

Premium Statistic Auto loan debt in the U.S. 2010-2021
Auto loan debt in the U.S. 2010-2021
Total outstanding auto loan debt in the United States from 2010 to 2021 (in trillion U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Average auto loan debt in the U.S. 2010-2021
Average auto loan debt in the U.S. 2010-2021
Average auto loan debt in the United States from 2010 to 2021 (in U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Average auto loan debt in the U.S. 2021, by generation
Average auto loan debt in the U.S. 2021, by generation
Average auto loan debt in the United States in 2021, by generation (in U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Average auto loan debt in the U.S. 2021, by state
Average auto loan debt in the U.S. 2021, by state
Average auto loan debt in the United States in 2021, by state (in U.S. dollars)

Credit card debt

Premium Statistic Quarterly credit card debt in the U.S. 2010-2022
Quarterly credit card debt in the U.S. 2010-2022
Credit card debt in the United States from 1st quarter 2010 to 3rd quarter 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Credit card debt in the different states of the U.S. 2021
Credit card debt in the different states of the U.S. 2021
Average credit card debt in the United States in 2021, by state (in U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Average credit card debt in the United States in 2021, by age
Average credit card debt in the United States in 2021, by age
Average credit card debt in the United States in 2021, by age group (in U.S. dollars)

Student loan debt

Basic Statistic Total student loans provided in the U.S. 2001-2022
Total student loans provided in the U.S. 2001-2022
Total amount provided in student loans in the United States from 2001/02 to 2021/22 (in 2021 billion U.S. dollars)
Basic Statistic U.S. undergraduate student aid 2021-2022, by source and type
U.S. undergraduate student aid 2021-2022, by source and type
Amount of undergraduate student aid provided in the United States in 2021-2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Average student loan debt in the U.S. 2021, by generation
Average student loan debt in the U.S. 2021, by generation
Average value of student loan debt held in the United States in 2021, by generation (in U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Number of student loan borrowers by balance U.S. 2021
Number of student loan borrowers by balance U.S. 2021
Number of student loan borrowers in the United States in 2021, by loan balance (in millions)

Buy now, pay later (BNPL)

Premium Statistic Buy now, pay later (BNPL) market size in the U.S. 2019-2021, with forecasts to 2026
Buy now, pay later (BNPL) market size in the U.S. 2019-2021, with forecasts to 2026
Estimate of buy now, pay later (BNPL) lending in the United States from 2019 to 2021, with forecasts from 2022 to 2026 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Buy now, pay later (BNPL) order value in the U.S. 2020, by age group
Buy now, pay later (BNPL) order value in the U.S. 2020, by age group
Average buy now, pay later (BNPL) purchase value in the United States in August 2021, by age group
Premium Statistic BNPL debt delinquency in the U.S. 2021-2022
BNPL debt delinquency in the U.S. 2021-2022
Share of buy now, pay later (BNPL) users who have missed payments in the United States from August 2021 to June 2022

Attitudes towards debt

Premium Statistic Time consumers expect to remain in non-mortgage debt in the U.S. 2022
Time consumers expect to remain in non-mortgage debt in the U.S. 2022
Number of years consumers expect to remain in non-mortgage debt in the United States in 2022
Premium Statistic Share of adults who believe their student loan debt was not worth it U.S. 2022
Share of adults who believe their student loan debt was not worth it U.S. 2022
Based on your current financial situation, was taking out student loans worth attending college?
Premium Statistic Number of customer complaints about debt collection in the U.S. 2021
Number of customer complaints about debt collection in the U.S. 2021
Number of customer complaints regarding debt collection in the United States in 2021

Loan delinquency

Premium Statistic Quarterly delinquency on consumer loans at commercial banks in the U.S. 2007-2022
Quarterly delinquency on consumer loans at commercial banks in the U.S. 2007-2022
Delinquency rate on consumer loans of all commercial banks in the United States from 1st quarter 2007 to 4th quarter 2022
Premium Statistic Homeowners with current or overdue mortgage payments in the U.S. in 2022, by race
Homeowners with current or overdue mortgage payments in the U.S. in 2022, by race
Number of homeowners who are caught up or behind on mortgage payment in the United States in October 2022, by race (in million)
Premium Statistic Share of people with debt in collections in the U.S. 2022
Share of people with debt in collections in the U.S. 2022
Share of people with a credit bureau record who have any debt in collections in the United States in 2022, by state and type of community
Premium Statistic Value of student loan debt outstanding, by repayment status U.S. 2021
Value of student loan debt outstanding, by repayment status U.S. 2021
Value of outstanding student loan debt in the United States in 2021, by repayment status (in billion U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Value of delinquent debt balance per capita in the U.S. 2021-2022 (in U.S. dollars)
Value of delinquent debt balance per capita in the U.S. 2021-2022 (in U.S. dollars)
Value of delinquent debt balance per capita in the United States from 2021 to 2022, by stage (in U.S. dollars)

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