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 infographic

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The 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