Data showed that people 35 or younger have the lowest average credit card debt at $3,700. Around 48% of individuals in this age group carry debt. 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.
The average credit card balance among consumers in their 30s was $5,563 in Q2 2019. That's up 1.8% from an average of $5,466 in Q2 2018.
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.
The average credit card debt by age makes a lot of sense when you think about it. Cardholders younger than 35 years old have the lowest average credit card debt because many of them have starter credit cards with relatively low spending limits. But as people reach middle age, debt levels increase.
The average person should be debt free by the age of 58, unless you choose to extend your payments. Otherwise, you could potentially be making payments for another two decades before you become debt free. Now, if you were to use a more disciplined budget and well-planned payments, you could be done by age 39.
Debt tends to soar during people's peak earning years, with individuals between the ages of 45 and 54 reporting the highest levels of debt and those in the 35-44 age bracket coming in second.
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.
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.
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.
The average American has $90,460 in debt, according to a 2021 CNBC report. That included all types of consumer debt products, from credit cards to personal loans, mortgages and student debt.
While the average American has $90,460 in debt, this includes all types of consumer debt products, from credit cards to personal loans, mortgages and student debt.
A good annual income for a credit card is more than $39,000 per annum for a single individual or $63,000 per year for a household. Anything lower than that is below the median yearly earnings for Americans.
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.
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.
Mortgages are the largest debt owned by many Americans, but paying them off before reaching retirement age isn't feasible for everyone. In fact, across the country, nearly 10 million homeowners who are still paying off their mortgage are 65 and older.
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.
INCREASED SAVINGS
That's right, a debt-free lifestyle makes it easier to save! While it can be hard to become debt free immediately, just lowering your interest rates on credit cards, or auto loans can help you start saving. Those savings can go straight into your savings account, or help you pay down debt even faster.
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.
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.
1/4 of the debt for 25 to 34-year-olds comes from credit cards. 16% of their debt is student loans, while 3% is mortgages.
According to the Experian 2020 State of Credit report, the average Gen X consumer has about $32,878 in non-mortgage debt, such as credit cards, student loans, car loans and/or personal loans. Gen X homeowners have an average mortgage balance of $245,127.
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.