The United States of Debt
Written by Carly Hallman
Debt. It is a very real and daunting part of life. In the modern age, credit cards, student loans and mortgages can be unavoidable and once you’ve graduated from college and moved into the home of your dreams, after looking at the mountain of debt you have amassed, you may question if it was all worth it. You’re not alone, millions of Americans are drowning in debt with little to no understanding of how to get their personal finances in order.
This infographic breaks down The United States of Debt by state and city to visualize which areas have the highest and lowest average debt and which types of debt they are suffering from the most.
The United States of Debt infographicThe United States of Debt
Average Student Loan Debt
| State | Average Student Loan Debt |
|---|---|
| New Hampshire | $32,795 (Highest in the U.S.) |
| Delaware | $32,571 |
| Pennsylvania | $32,528 |
| Rhode Island | $31,561 |
| Minnesota | $30,894 |
| Connecticut | $30,191 |
| Maine | $29,934 |
| Michigan | $29,583 |
| Iowa | $29,370 |
| South Carolina | $29,092 |
| Ohio | $29,090 |
| Alabama | $28,895 |
| Alaska | $28,570 |
| Massachusetts | $28,565 |
| Illinois | $28,543 |
| Indiana | $28,466 |
| Wisconsin | $28,128 |
| New Jersey | $28,109 |
| Mississippi | $27,571 |
| Montana | $27,568 |
| North Dakota | $27,425 |
| West Virginia | $27,320 |
| Vermont | $27,318 |
| Idaho | $26,622 |
| Nebraska | $26,490 |
| New York | $26,381 |
| Maryland | $26,349 |
| Kansas | $26,229 |
| Virginia | $25,780 |
| South Dakota | $25,750 |
| Oregon | $25,577 |
| Arkansas | $25,375 |
| Texas | $25,244 |
| Missouri | $24,957 |
| Kentucky | $24,693 |
| Tennessee | $24,585 |
| Colorado | $24,520 |
| Georgia | $24,517 |
| Washington | $24,418 |
| North Carolina | $24,319 |
| Florida | $24,017 |
| Louisiana | $23,358 |
| Wyoming | $22,879 |
| Hawaii | $22,785 |
| Utah | $22,418 |
| Arizona | $22,253 |
| Oklahoma | $22,174 |
| District of Columbia | $22,048 |
| Nevada | $21,666 |
| California | $20,340 |
| New Mexico | $18,656 (Lowest in the U.S.) |
*Figures from 2013 data collected by The Institute for College Access & Success
Average Mortgage Debt
| State | Average Mortgage Debt |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $275,254 (Highest in the U.S.) |
| Hawaii | $258,020 |
| California | $253,120 |
| Maryland | $203,945 |
| New Jersey | $203,697 |
| Massachusetts | $201,997 |
| Connecticut | $195,018 |
| New York | $194,910 |
| Virginia | $193,655 |
| Washington | $186,856 |
| Colorado | $173,928 |
| Alaska | $173,771 |
| Oregon | $164, 128 |
| Rhode Island | $163,291 |
| Nevada | $161,812 |
| Utah | $159,632 |
| Delaware | $156,841 |
| Arizona | $152,664 |
| New Hampshire | $152,262 |
| Illinois | $145,508 |
| Wyoming | $143,017 |
| Florida | $142,985 |
| Minnesota | $142,895 |
| Montana | $137,411 |
| Georgia | $134,759 |
| North Carolina | $131,594 |
| Pennsylvania | $131,594 |
| Vermont | $128,372 |
| New Mexico | $127,648 |
| Idaho | $126,107 |
| South Carolina | $125,007 |
| Texas | $122,744 |
| Maine | $121,860 |
| Wisconsin | $117,993 |
| North Dakota | $117,893 |
| Louisiana | $117,404 |
| Tennessee | $116,964 |
| South Dakota | $115,829 |
| Alabama | $114,119 |
| Missouri | $111,879 |
| Kansas | $108,907 |
| Michigan | $108,385 |
| Nebraska | $106,355 |
| Ohio | $105,771 |
| Iowa | $103,361 |
| Kentucky | $102,273 |
| Oklahoma | $101,651 |
| Arkansas | $99,759 |
| Indiana | $99,493 |
| Mississippi | $98,230 |
| West Virginia | $93,195 |
*Figures from 2014 data collected by Experian Decision Analytics Group
Average Credit Card Debt
| State | Average Debt |
|---|---|
| 1. Alaska | $6,910 (Highest in the U.S.) |
| 2. Colorado | $5,625 |
| 3. Connecticut | $5,617 |
| 4. North Carolina | $5,548 |
| 5. District of Columbia | $5,499 |
| 6. New Jersey | $5,484 |
| 7. South Carolina | $5,389 |
| 8. Maryland | $5,345 |
| 9. Georgia | $5,343 |
| 10. Virginia | $5,329 |
| 11. New Hampshire | $5,327 |
| 12. Washington | $5,269 |
| 13. Delaware | $5,234 |
| 14. Texas | $5,173 |
| 15. Illinois | $5,166 |
| 16. Massachusetts | $5,142 |
| 17. Hawaii | $5,141 |
| 18. Rhode Island | $5,102 |
| 19. Arizona | $5,011 |
| 20. New York | $4,952 |
| 21. California | $4,937 |
| 22. New Mexico | $4,920 |
| 23. Florida | $4,861 |
| 24. Oklahoma | $4,854 |
| 25. Nevada | $4,851 |
| 26. Kansas | $4,830 |
| 27. Ohio | $4,817 |
| 28. Alabama | $4,817 |
| 29. Maine | $4,797 |
| 30. Missouri | $4,796 |
| 31. Wyoming | $4,789 |
| 32. Louisiana | $4,773 |
| 33. Oregon | $4,773 |
| 34. Vermont | $4,693 |
| 35. Tennessee | $4,669 |
| 36. Pennsylvania | $4,629 |
| 37. Mississippi | $4,594 |
| 38. Indiana | $4,577 |
| 39. Montana | $4,565 |
| 40. Utah | $4,559 |
| 41. Michigan | $4,558 |
| 42. Idaho | $4,549 |
| 43. Minnesota | $4,541 |
| 44. Arkansas | $4,535 |
| 45. Kentucky | $4,436 |
| 46. Wisconsin | $4,327 |
| 47. West Virginia | $4,315 |
| 48. Nebraska | $4,298 |
| 49. South Dakota | $4,236 |
| 50. North Dakota | $4,011 |
| 51. Iowa | $3,885 (Lowest in the U.S.) |
*Figures from 2013 data collected by TransUnion
Average Debt Per Person in Major U.S. Cities
| Akron, OH $46,054 |
| Madison, WI $64,676 |
| Albany, NY $56,141 |
| McAllen, TX $23,546 (Lowest in the U.S.) |
| Albuquerque, NM $56,507 |
| Memphis, TN $40,607 |
| Allentown, PA $56,813 |
| Miami, FL $46,540 |
| Atlanta, GA $55,204 |
| Milwaukee, WI $52,144 |
| Augusta, GA $40,987 |
| Minneapolis, MN $78,137 |
| Austin, TX $58,866 |
| Nashville, TN $54,743 |
| Bakersfield, CA $46,105 |
| New Haven, CT $57,798 |
| Baltimore, MD $72,634 |
| New Orleans, LA $42,983 |
| Baton Rouge, LA $45,915 |
| New York, NY $60,885 |
| Birmingham, AL $44,851 |
| North Port, FL $51,112 |
| Boise City, ID $64,355 |
| Ogden, UT $66,271 |
| Boston, MA $79,767 |
| Oklahoma City, OK $44,502 |
| Bridgeport, CT $94,609 |
| Omaha, NE $55,679 |
| Buffalo, NY $39,140 |
| Orlando, FL $49,968 |
| Cape Coral, FL $49,288 |
| Oxnard, CA $95,903 |
| Charleston, SC $62,486 |
| Palm Bay, FL $47,782 |
| Charlotte, NC $57,449 |
| Philadelphia, PA $62,280 |
| Chattanooga, TN $38,918 |
| Phoenix, AZ $60,456 |
| Chicago, IL $58,498 |
| Pittsburgh, PA $43,795 |
| Cincinnati, OH $53,187 |
| Portland, OR $70,919 |
| Cleveland, OH $44,624 |
| Providence, RI $59,605 |
| Colorado Springs, CO $73,621 |
| Provo, UT $68,256 |
| Columbia, SC $51,342 |
| Raleigh, NC $67,256 |
| Columbus, OH $52,904 |
| Richmond, VA $62,323 |
| Dallas, TX $46,316 |
| Riverside, CA $58,825 |
| Dayton, OH $43,861 |
| Rochester, NY $43,043 |
| Deltona, FL $44,265 |
| Sacramento, CA $71,605 |
| Denver, CO $77,138 |
| Salt Lake City, UT $61,712 |
| Des Moines, IA $59,758 |
| San Antonio, TX $46,531 |
| Detroit, MI $44,531 |
| San Diego, CA $78,282 |
| El Paso, TX $32,665 |
| San Francisco, CA $92,010 |
| Fresno, CA $45,138 |
| San Jose, CA $97,150 (Highest in the U.S.) |
| Grand Rapids, MI $47,652 |
| Scranton, PA $37,742 |
| Greensboro, NC $42,800 |
| Seattle, WA $84,519 |
| Greenville, SC $42,872 |
| Spokane, WA $57,820 |
| Harrisburg, PA $55,248 |
| Springfield, MA $46,464 |
| Hartford, CT $64,011 |
| St. Louis, MO $54,814 |
| Honolulu, HI $87,241 |
| Stockton, CA $55,742 |
| Houston, TX $42,784 |
| Syracuse, NY $41,440 |
| Indianapolis, IN $48,898 |
| Tampa, FL $47,767 |
| Jackson, MS $40,078 |
| Toledo, OH $41,650 |
| Jacksonville, FL $54,546 |
| Tucson, AZ $50,817 |
| Kansas City, MO $54,649 |
| Tulsa, OK $43,254 |
| Knoxville, TN $44,246 |
| Virginia Beach, VA $65,052 |
| Lakeland, FL $38,350 |
| Washington, DC $95,560 |
| Las Vegas, NV $49,325 |
| Wichita, KS $43,152 |
| Little Rock, AR $46,700 |
| Winston, NC $42,042 |
| Los Angeles, CA $64,778 |
| Worcester, MA $67,073 |
| Louisville, KY $45,999 |
| Youngstown, OH $32,774 |
*Figures from 2013 data collected by The Urban Institute