Read our editorial guidelines here . Your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio is how much money you earn versus what you spend. It's calculated by dividing your monthly debts by your gross monthly income. Generally, it's a good idea to keep your DTI ratio below 43%, though 35% or less is considered “good.”
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.
Average American debt payments in 2024: 11.5% of income
The most recent debt payment-to-income ratio, from the second quarter of 2024, is 11.5%. That means the average American spends nearly 12% of their monthly income on debt payments.
Your particular ratio in addition to your overall monthly income and debt, and credit rating are weighed when you apply for a new credit account. Standards and guidelines vary, most lenders like to see a DTI below 35─36% but some mortgage lenders allow up to 43─45% DTI, with some FHA-insured loans allowing a 50% DTI.
Debt-to-income ratio of 36% or less
With a DTI ratio of 36% or less, you probably have a healthy amount of income each month to put towards investments or savings. Most lenders will see you as a safe bet to afford monthly payments for a new loan or line of credit.
If your monthly income is $2,500, your DTI ratio would be 64 percent, which might be too high to qualify for some credit cards. With an income of roughly $3,700 and the same debt, however, you'd have a DTI ratio of 43 percent and would have better chances of qualifying for a credit card.
Running up $50,000 in credit card debt is not impossible. About two million Americans do it every year. Paying off that bill?
The Standard Route is what credit companies and lenders recommend. If this is the graduate's choice, he or she will be debt free around the age of 58. It will take a total of 36 years to complete. It's a whole lot of time but it's the standard for a lot of people.
In the first quarter of 2024, the household debt-to-income ratio in the United States differed significantly within the country. The highest household debt-to-income ratio was recorded in Hawaii at 2.2, and the lowest in the District of Columbia at 0.52 percent, respectively.
The average American owed $103,358 in consumer debt in the second quarter of 2023, the latest data available, according to credit bureau Experian.
What is considered a lot of student loan debt? A lot of student loan debt is more than you can afford to repay after graduation. For many, this means having more than $70,000 – $100,000 in total student debt.
You may notice slight variations between different lenders' calculations of DTI, but generally, these amounts are considered debt: Monthly housing costs, including a mortgage, insurance, homeowners' association fees and property taxes. Rent payments. Home equity loans or lines of credit.
As a general guideline, 43% is the highest DTI ratio a borrower can have and still get qualified for a mortgage. Ideally, lenders prefer a debt-to-income ratio lower than 36%, with no more than 28%–35% of that debt going toward servicing a mortgage. 1 The maximum DTI ratio varies from lender to lender.
Most lenders say a DTI of 36% is acceptable, but they want to lend you money, so they're willing to cut some slack. Many financial advisors say a DTI higher than 35% means you have too much debt. Others stretch the boundaries up to the 49% mark.
The average household has about $6,100 in credit card debt, but that number varies by demographic factors including age, family structure and education. Couples with children have higher credit card balances than singles and those with no children, carrying an average of $7,050 in credit card balances.
"Shark Tank" investor Kevin O'Leary has said the ideal age to be debt-free is 45, especially if you want to retire by age 60. Being debt-free — including paying off your mortgage — by your mid-40s puts you on the early path toward success, O'Leary argued.
By the time you reach your 40s, you'll want to have around three times your annual salary saved for retirement. By age 50, you'll want to have around six times your salary saved.
So, for the purposes of the study, Bank of America set a threshold — households spending at least 90% of their income on necessities could be considered living paycheck to paycheck. By that measure, around 30% of American households are living paycheck to paycheck, according to Bank of America's internal data.
According to the Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) for 2022 (the most recent study released publicly), the average savings balance for people ages 64 and younger ranged from $20,540 to $72,520, with median balances ranging from $5,400 to $8,700.
Card issuers sometimes ask you to verify your income, which you may be able to do by submitting copies of income-related documents, such as a tax return or pay stub. Alternatively, you may be able to give the card issuer permission to contact the IRS to verify your income.
There's no specific annual income required to qualify for a credit card, especially because credit card companies look at many factors to help determine whether or not you qualify. However, one thing to consider is your debt-to-income ratio (DTI), which helps determine your risk as a borrower.