There isn't a specific amount of credit card debt that's considered too much. Instead, it depends on your individual financial situation and how you're using your credit cards. U.S. consumers had an average total credit card balance of $6,501 as of the third quarter (Q3) of 2023, a 10% increase from the previous year.
High-interest credit card debt can devastate even the most thought-out financial plan. U.S. consumers carry $6,501 in credit card debt on average, according to Experian data, but if your balance is much higher—say, $20,000 or beyond—you may feel hopeless.
If you're just starting out, a good credit limit for your first card might be around $1,000. If you have built up a solid credit history, a steady income and a good credit score, your credit limit may increase to $5,000 or $10,000 or more — plenty of credit to ensure you can purchase big ticket items.
$5,000 in credit card debt can be quite costly in the long run. That's especially the case if you only make minimum payments each month. However, you don't have to accept decades of credit card debt.
At the close of 2019, the average household had a credit card debt of $7,499. During the first quarter of 2021, it dropped to $6,209. In 2022, credit card debt rose again to $7,951 and has increased linearly. In 2023, it reached $8,599 — $75 shy of the 2024 average.
Key takeaways. Debt-to-income ratio is your monthly debt obligations compared to your gross monthly income (before taxes), expressed as a percentage. A good debt-to-income ratio is less than or equal to 36%. Any debt-to-income ratio above 43% is considered to be too much debt.
Running up $50,000 in credit card debt is not impossible. About two million Americans do it every year. Paying off that bill?
Average American Debt by Age
Here's a look at how much nonmortgage debt Americans have by age group, and the average non-mortgage per capita debt for each group: 18-29-year-olds: $69 billion total, $12,871 average. 30-39-year-olds: $1.17 trillion, $26,532 average.
It's a red flag for budgets. Though incomes are up, Americans are putting more on plastic and stretching to pay on time, reinforcing the precarious nature of cash flow.
Your debt-to-income ratio (DTI) measures your monthly debt payments against your monthly income. Typically, lenders use this ratio to evaluate your ability to take on more debt. Ideally, your DTI is below 36%. If it's higher, that's a potential sign of financial strain.
It will take 32 months to pay off $5,000 with payments of $200 per month, assuming the average credit card APR of around 18%. The time it takes to repay a balance depends on how often you make payments, how big your payments are and what the interest rate charged by the lender is.
It's a good idea to pay off your credit card balance in full whenever you're able. Carrying a monthly credit card balance can cost you in interest and increase your credit utilization rate, which is one factor used to calculate your credit scores.
If it's between 43% to 50%, take action to reduce your debt load; consulting a nonprofit credit counseling agency may be helpful. If it's 50% or more, your debt load is high risk; consider getting advice from a bankruptcy attorney.
Those will become part of your budget. The 50-30-20 rule recommends putting 50% of your money toward needs, 30% toward wants, and 20% toward savings. The savings category also includes money you will need to realize your future goals.
By the time you reach your 40s and 50s, debts should be lower or almost gone. Student loans should be non-existent, you may be paying for cars in cash, you might be pre-paying your mortgage, and credit card debt should not exist.
Both Gen Zers and younger millennials were hit by a nasty one-two punch — the Covid-19 pandemic and then the worst inflation in decades — at critical points in their financial journeys. Now, those aged 18 to 29 are carrying $1.12 trillion of debt, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Almost 90% of people in their 20s are broke. More than 50% of them receive help from their parents, and almost none of them have savings. According to another research, millennials between 22 and 30 have an average net worth of -$20,000 (yes, negative). And many of them even earn well.
It's your credit card debt ratio. Generally, you never want your minimum credit card payments to exceed 10 percent of your net income. Net income is the income you take home after taxes and other deductions.
This means that unpaid credit card balances can grow rapidly, making it increasingly difficult to catch up. When you add in the revolving nature of credit card debt, which allows you to continually borrow up to your credit limit, it's easy to find yourself trapped in a cycle of debt.
In the first quarter of 2023, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York estimated total credit card debt for all Americans was $986 billion. Alaska residents carry the highest credit card debt, while residents of Iowa have the lowest per person.