The average credit card debt for 30 year olds is roughly $4,200, according to the Experian data report.
25—34 year olds = $78,396
Credit cards often have high interest rates that can cause debt to snowball. Younger millennials carry an average debt of $78,396, primarily due to credit card balances, according to Experian.
If you have credit card debt, you're not alone. On average, Americans carry $6,194 in credit card debt, according to the 2019 Experian Consumer Credit Review.
Adults 75 or older have the highest average credit card debt at $8,100, but just 28% of people in this age group have debt. Meanwhile, 52% of Americans 45–54 years old have credit card debt, making them the age group most likely to carry it.
The average millennial has over $4,000 in credit card debt—other generations have more.
The average debt for individual consumers dropped from $6,194 in 2019 to $5,315 in 2020. In fact, the average balance declined in every state.
Despite their good money habits, the typical Gen Zer drove debt growth during the pandemic. They owe $16,043 on average. Gen Z had the most debt growth of any generation between 2019 and 2020, with the average balance increasing by 67.2% from $9,593, according to the Experian report.
How much money does the average American owe? According to a 2020 Experian study, the average American carries $92,727 in consumer debt. Consumer debt includes a variety of personal credit accounts, such as credit cards, auto loans, mortgages, personal loans, and student loans.
Kevin O'Leary, an investor on “Shark Tank” and personal finance author, said in 2018 that the ideal age to be debt-free is 45. It's at this age, said O'Leary, that you enter the last half of your career and should therefore ramp up your retirement savings in order to ensure a comfortable life in your elderly years.
And yet, over half of Americans surveyed (53%) say that debt reduction is a top priority—while nearly a quarter (23%) say they have no debt. And that percentage may rise.
Average credit card balance: $5,221. Average revolving utilization rate: 25 percent. Average number of credit cards: 3. Average retail credit card balance: $1,887.
The simple answer is that having minimal credit card debt is the best policy. The more complex answer: “it depends.” How much credit card debt is okay for one person may not be okay for the next – it all depends on your financial situation, your spending habits and your overall credit limits.
On average, Americans carry $5,315 in credit card debt, but if your balance is much higher—say, $20,000 or beyond—you may be feeling hopeless. Paying off a high credit card balance can be a daunting task, but it's possible.
Gen X (ages 35-49): $39,000
1 source of debt: They account for about 32 percent of the members of this age group typically owe, the survey finds. Credit card debt is the No. 2 source, while car loans and education debt tie for around 7 percent each.
Is being debt-free the new rich? Yes, as long as you have money and assets, in addition to no debts. Living loan-free is a fantastic way to stay financially secure, and it is possible for anyone. While there are a couple of downsides to being debt-free, they are minimal.
Being debt free to start with means having minimal to no bad debts and average good debts. Being debt free doesn't mean you have no mortgage, bills, or car payment. It means you carry a manageable amount of debt, and are cognizant of your borrowing and DTI.
You should aim to have everything paid off, from student loans to credit card debt, by age 45, O'Leary says. “The reason I say 45 is the turning point, or in your 40s, is because think about a career: Most careers start in early 20s and end in the mid-60s,” O'Leary says.
About 52% of Americans owe $2,500 or less on their credit cards. If you're looking at $5,000 or higher, you should really get motivated to knock out that debt quickly.
If your total balance is more than 30% of the total credit limit, you may be in too much debt. Some experts consider it best to keep credit utilization between 1% and 10%, while anything between 11% and 30% is typically considered good.
Generally speaking, a good debt-to-income ratio is anything less than or equal to 36%. Meanwhile, any ratio above 43% is considered too high.
Overall, the average millennial carries about $28,317 in debt, not including mortgages, according to Experian's 2021 State of Credit report, which classifies millennials as those born between 1982 and 1995. When including mortgages, millennials' total debt averages $255,527 per person.
Key findings
67% of millennials report having credit card debt, while just 36% face student loan debt. About 1 in 4 cardholders across all generations think they'll die in debt. 25% of women think they'll never be debt-free, compared to 19% of men.
But increasingly America's millennials are being defined by debt. Since they are now the country's largest generation—83.1 million people, according to the US Census Bureau—the millennial debt crisis is a national issue. Millennials are the most indebted generation in history.