Credit Card Debt Statistics 2026: Balances, Interest Rates and Delinquency
Balances, interest rates, delinquency, accounts and state figures from the New York Fed and the Federal Reserve, updated for the second quarter of 2026, with the sources and dates you need to cite them.
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📐 Figures verified Sep 27, 2026 against the New York Fed Household Debt and Credit Report for Q2 2026 (released August 2026), the Federal Reserve G.19 release of September 8, 2026 and the Fed's charge-off and delinquency release of August 25, 2026. How we check numbers →
Americans owed $1.26 trillion on credit cards at the end of June 2026, up 4.5% from a year earlier, across 653.6 million accounts, according to the New York Fed. Card accounts that paid interest were charged an average 22.15% in the second quarter (Federal Reserve), and 12.92% of card balances were 90 or more days delinquent.
Numbers That Matter: Credit Card Debt in 2026
| Statistic | Figure | Source | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credit card balances, Q2 2026 | $1.263 trillion | New York Fed, Household Debt and Credit Report | Sep 27, 2026 |
| Change from Q2 2025 | +$54 billion (+4.5%) | New York Fed | Sep 27, 2026 |
| Open credit card accounts | 653.6 million | New York Fed | Sep 27, 2026 |
| Card balances 90+ days delinquent | 12.92% (a year earlier: 12.27%) | New York Fed | Sep 27, 2026 |
| Card balances newly 90+ days delinquent, annualized | 6.97% | New York Fed | Sep 27, 2026 |
| Average rate, card accounts assessed interest, Q2 2026 | 22.15% | Federal Reserve G.19 | Sep 27, 2026 |
| Average rate, all card accounts, Q2 2026 | 20.94% | Federal Reserve G.19 | Sep 27, 2026 |
| Revolving consumer credit, July 2026 (seasonally adjusted) | $1.357 trillion | Federal Reserve G.19 | Sep 27, 2026 |
| Bank card delinquency rate / charge-off rate, Q2 2026 (seasonally adjusted) | 2.85% / 3.82% | Federal Reserve charge-off and delinquency rates | Sep 27, 2026 |
| Card debt per person with a credit report, United States | about $4,270 | New York Fed | Sep 27, 2026 |
The Headline Numbers
Credit card balances reached $1.263 trillion at the end of June 2026, the New York Fed's latest quarterly count from Equifax credit reports. That is $21 billion more than in March and $54 billion more than a year earlier, a 4.5% rise. Cards make up 6.7% of the $18.77 trillion that American households owe in total; mortgages are most of the rest.
Balances usually fall in the first quarter, when holiday bills get paid down, and climb through the rest of the year. That pattern held in 2026: the nominal record of $1.277 trillion came at the end of 2025, balances dipped in the first quarter, and the second quarter brought them back up.
The cost of carrying that debt barely moved. Card accounts that were charged interest paid an average 22.15% in the second quarter, according to the Federal Reserve's G.19 release, against 22.25% a year earlier. Trouble paying stayed near its highest level in more than a decade: 12.92% of card balances were 90 or more days behind, down from 13.12% in the first quarter, which was the highest share since Q1 2011.
Credit Card Debt by Year
Year-end balances tell the post-2019 story: a sharp drop in 2020, when spending fell and stimulus money paid cards down, then four years of fast growth. Growth has slowed since 2024 but hasn't reversed.
| Period | Card balances | Open accounts | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| End of 2019 | $0.927 trillion | 507.9 million | — |
| End of 2020 | $0.819 trillion | 505.6 million | -11.7% |
| End of 2021 | $0.856 trillion | 531.5 million | +4.5% |
| End of 2022 | $0.986 trillion | 564.5 million | +15.2% |
| End of 2023 | $1.129 trillion | 594.8 million | +14.5% |
| End of 2024 | $1.211 trillion | 617.4 million | +7.3% |
| End of 2025 | $1.277 trillion | 648.1 million | +5.5% |
| June 2026 | $1.263 trillion | 653.6 million | +4.5% vs. June 2025 |
The number of open card accounts grew even faster than balances, from 507.9 million at the end of 2019 to 653.6 million today, 17.6 million more than a year ago. All figures are in nominal dollars, not adjusted for rising prices, so part of the growth in balances simply reflects higher prices for the things people charge.
Credit Card Interest Rates
The Federal Reserve reports two average card rates each quarter. "Accounts assessed interest" covers the accounts that actually paid interest, which is the rate a person carrying a balance should compare against. "All accounts" also includes people who pay in full and are charged nothing, which pulls the average down.
| Period | Accounts assessed interest | All accounts |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 16.45% | 14.60% |
| 2022 | 17.91% | 16.26% |
| 2023 | 22.15% | 20.90% |
| 2024 | 22.89% | 21.58% |
| 2025 | 22.32% | 21.22% |
| Q2 2025 | 22.25% | 21.16% |
| Q3 2025 | 22.83% | 21.39% |
| Q4 2025 | 22.30% | 20.97% |
| Q1 2026 | 21.52% | 21.00% |
| Q2 2026 | 22.15% | 20.94% |
Annual figures are averages of the four quarters. Rates jumped in 2022 and 2023 as the Federal Reserve raised short-term interest rates, peaked in 2024, and have drifted in a narrow band since: 22.83% in the third quarter of 2025, 21.52% in the first quarter of 2026 and 22.15% in the second. Most card rates are variable, set as a margin above the prime rate, so they follow the Fed's policy rate with a short lag. Your own rate is on your statement; our guide to reading a credit card statement shows where to find it and how interest is calculated.
Delinquency and Charge-Offs
Three data sources describe missed payments, and they measure different things. The New York Fed looks at all card balances on credit reports, including cards from non-bank lenders and debt that is already in collections. The Federal Reserve's bank figures cover only loans still on bank balance sheets, and banks charge off (write off) card debt once it is about 180 days past due, which removes it from the count.
| Measure | Q2 2026 | A year earlier | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Share of card balances 90+ days delinquent | 12.92% | 12.27% | New York Fed |
| Card balances newly 30+ days delinquent (annualized) | 8.69% | 8.58% | New York Fed |
| Card balances newly 90+ days delinquent (annualized) | 6.97% | 6.93% | New York Fed |
| Bank credit card loans 30+ days past due (seasonally adjusted) | 2.85% | 3.04% | Federal Reserve |
| Bank credit card charge-off rate (annualized, seasonally adjusted) | 3.82% | 4.19% | Federal Reserve |
The stock measure, the share of balances 90 or more days behind, is close to where it stood after the 2008–2009 recession. The flow measures look better: 6.97% of balances moved into serious delinquency over the past year at the current pace, higher than the 5.32% of late 2019 but well below the 10.96% peak in Q4 2009. Charge-offs at banks ran at 3.82% of card balances, annualized, compared with 4.19% a year earlier.
If you're the one falling behind, act before the 180-day mark. Card issuers run hardship programs that can cut the rate or pause payments, and a nonprofit credit counselor can set up a debt management plan. Our guide to what happens if you stop paying credit cards walks through the timeline.
Delinquency by Age
Younger borrowers fall behind most often. The New York Fed measures how much of each age group's card debt became 90 or more days delinquent over the last four quarters:
| Age | Card balances that became 90+ days delinquent over the past year |
|---|---|
| 18–29 | 10.08% |
| 30–39 | 8.26% |
| 40–49 | 7.62% |
| 50–59 | 6.41% |
| 60–69 | 4.98% |
| 70+ | 6.34% |
| All borrowers | 7.00% |
Borrowers under 30 are twice as likely as people in their 60s to have card debt go seriously delinquent. Short credit histories, lower incomes and more reliance on cards for everyday spending all play a part. Borrowers 70 and older run above those in their 60s, a reminder that fixed incomes leave little room when prices rise.
Credit Card Debt by State
The New York Fed publishes per-person figures for 11 large states plus the national total. Per person here means per person with a credit report, not per resident.
| State | Card debt per person with a credit report |
|---|---|
| FL | $4,920 |
| CA | $4,900 |
| NV | $4,900 |
| NJ | $4,790 |
| NY | $4,790 |
| AZ | $4,620 |
| TX | $4,530 |
| United States | $4,270 |
| IL | $4,240 |
| PA | $3,830 |
| MI | $3,630 |
| OH | $3,530 |
Florida, California and Nevada top the list, and all three sit near $4,900 per person. Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania are lowest. These figures are averages across everyone with a credit report, including people with no card debt at all.
Accounts, Credit Limits and Utilization
Americans had 653.6 million open card accounts in mid-2026, with combined credit limits of $5.56 trillion. Balances used 22.7% of that limit, down slightly from 23.1% a year earlier, leaving $4.30 trillion of unused credit. Spread across every open account, the balance averages about $1,932 per card.
Utilization matters for individuals as much as for the country: credit scoring models weigh how much of your available credit you use. Keeping balances well below your limits, and paying before the statement closes, helps your score; our credit score guide explains how.
The Federal Reserve's G.19 release, a separate measure based on lender data rather than credit reports, put revolving consumer credit at $1.357 trillion in July 2026, seasonally adjusted. It grew at a 4.9% annual rate in the second quarter and 2.5% in July. Revolving credit is mostly credit card debt, but the two sources differ in coverage and timing, so their totals don't match.
What the Average Rate Costs You
Take a $5,000 card balance charged the second-quarter 2026 average of 22.15% for accounts that pay interest, with no new purchases. Here is how long it takes to clear and what it costs under three payment plans:
| Payment plan | Time to pay off | Total interest |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum only (interest + 1% of the balance, at least $25) | 19 years 3 months | $8,159 |
| A fixed $150 a month | 4 years 5 months | $2,834 |
| A fixed $300 a month | 21 months | $1,031 |
The first month's minimum would be about $142, most of it interest. Paying only the minimum stretches the debt out for 19 years 3 months and costs $8,159 in interest. A fixed $150 a month clears it in 4 years 5 months for $2,834, and doubling that to $300 finishes in 21 months with $1,031 of interest. (Illustrative: minimum-payment formulas vary by issuer, and interest here compounds monthly.)
At that rate, paying down a card is a guaranteed 22.15% return, more than most investments can promise. Our guides to the avalanche and snowball methods and to balance transfers show how to cut the interest faster, and how to pay off credit card debt puts it together step by step.
- A record, then a dip. Balances hit $1.277 trillion at the end of 2025, a nominal record, fell in the first quarter and rose to $1.263 trillion by June.
- Serious delinquency peaked, then eased. The share of card balances 90+ days behind reached 13.12% in the first quarter, the highest since Q1 2011, and slipped to 12.92% in the second.
- Rates held near 22%. The average for accounts assessed interest moved from 22.83% in late 2025 to 21.52% and then 22.15%.
- More cards. Open accounts reached 653.6 million, 17.6 million more than a year earlier.
- Bank write-offs fell. The charge-off rate on bank card loans was 3.82% in the second quarter, down from 4.19% a year earlier.
Using and Citing These Numbers
Some notes before you quote a figure. The New York Fed's numbers come from a 5% sample of Equifax credit reports and describe balances as reported by lenders, whether or not the borrower pays in full each month. “Per person” figures divide by people with a credit report. The Fed's rate figures come from a survey of banks, and its delinquency and charge-off rates cover bank-held loans only. The complete New York Fed data set is available as a spreadsheet.
Next updates: the New York Fed's third-quarter report is expected in early November 2026; the G.19 release comes out monthly, with card rates for the third quarter in its November edition; the next bank charge-off and delinquency figures follow in late November. For inflation figures on the same basis, see our inflation and cost-of-living statistics, and for the first-quarter picture, our Q1 2026 household debt report.
If this, then that
- If you carry a balance at a rate near 22.15% → pay it down before investing extra money in taxable accounts; few investments reliably return that much.
- If you have balances on several cards → pick a method: the highest rate first saves the most interest, the smallest balance first builds momentum.
- If you can clear the debt within a year or so → compare a 0% balance transfer offer, but count the 3% to 5% transfer fee.
- If a payment is 30 days late → call the issuer now and ask about a hardship program before the account reaches collections.
- If your balance is above about 30% of your limit → pay before the statement closing date to lower the utilization that gets reported.
Mistakes to avoid
- Comparing “average credit card debt” figures that divide by different groups: per person with a credit report, per account and per household give very different answers.
- Using the all-accounts rate to estimate your interest. If you carry a balance, the assessed-interest average of 22.15% is closer to what you pay.
- Reading the 12.92% delinquency share as the share of people behind. It is the share of balances.
- Treating a nominal record as a real one. Higher prices account for part of the rise since 2019.
- Paying only the minimum on a high-rate balance, which can stretch a few thousand dollars of debt over decades.
To see what the average rate means for your own card, run your balance and rewards through the Credit Card Reality Engine, which also tests annual fees and deferred-interest offers.