WASHINGTON—Americans are known for racking up credit-card debt, but just how much total debt has been accumulated is “shocking,” according to one new analysis.
At the beginning of 2022, Americans owed over $1 trillion in credit-card debt, according to WalletHub, which said big increases in consumer debt during 2021 wiped out progress that had been made from record-setting payoffs in 2020 as the result of federal stimulus checks.
“Americans aren’t all in the same boat when it comes to credit-card debt, though. People in some states charge less than others, whether because they have been less impacted by the pandemic, are more responsible about their finances or a number of other factors,” WalletHub said in announcing its ne analysis.
To determine which states have the least and most sustainable credit-card debts, WalletHub said it drew upon TransUnion credit data to calculate the cost and time required to pay off the median card balances of each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
How States Compare
Among its findings:
States with the Highest & Lowest Credit-Card Debts
| Rank* | State | Median Credit-Card Debt | Cost to Pay off | Months & Days Until Payoff |
| 1 | Alaska | $3,206 | -$392 | 17 months and 27 days |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $2,788 | -$328 | 17 months and 3 days |
| 3 | Washington | $2,471 | -$249 | 14 months and 21 days |
| 4 | Vermont | $2,181 | -$216 | 14 months and 12 days |
| 5 | Wyoming | $2,324 | -$229 | 14 months and 10 days |
| 6 | Oregon | $2,208 | -$217 | 14 months and 7 days |
| 7 | Montana | $2,227 | -$219 | 14 months and 7 days |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $2,372 | -$231 | 14 months and 3 days |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $2,344 | -$228 | 14 months and 3 days |
| 10 | Colorado | $2,646 | -$251 | 13 months and 25 days |
| 11 | North Dakota | $2,174 | -$204 | 13 months and 19 days |
| 12 | Minnesota | $2,150 | -$201 | 13 months and 17 days |
| 13 | Idaho | $2,104 | -$197 | 13 months and 17 days |
| 14 | South Dakota | $2,048 | -$191 | 13 months and 16 days |
| 15 | Virginia | $2,461 | -$229 | 13 months and 15 days |
| 16 | Connecticut | $2,529 | -$235 | 13 months and 15 days |
| 17 | Kansas | $2,207 | -$204 | 13 months and 12 days |
| 18 | Utah | $2,225 | -$204 | 13 months and 8 days |
| 19 | Arizona | $2,215 | -$202 | 13 months and 6 days |
| 20 | New Mexico | $2,057 | -$186 | 13 months and 2 days |
| 21 | California | $2,260 | -$201 | 12 months and 29 days |
| 22 | Michigan | $2,049 | -$182 | 12 months and 28 days |
| 23 | Maryland | $2,448 | -$217 | 12 months and 28 days |
| 24 | Wisconsin | $1,919 | -$170 | 12 months and 26 days |
| 25 | Texas | $2,404 | -$212 | 12 months and 24 days |
| 26 | Rhode Island | $2,195 | -$191 | 12 months and 18 days |
| 27 | Missouri | $2,063 | -$179 | 12 months and 17 days |
| 28 | Maine | $2,015 | -$175 | 12 months and 16 days |
| 29 | North Carolina | $2,155 | -$187 | 12 months and 15 days |
| 30 | New Jersey | $2,464 | -$213 | 12 months and 15 days |
| 31 | South Carolina | $2,189 | -$188 | 12 months and 13 days |
| 32 | Illinois | $2,227 | -$191 | 12 months and 10 days |
| 33 | Georgia | $2,296 | -$194 | 12 months and 6 days |
| 34 | Florida | $2,285 | -$193 | 12 months and 5 days |
| 35 | New York | $2,245 | -$189 | 12 months and 3 days |
| 36 | Oklahoma | $2,174 | -$182 | 12 months and 1 day |
| 37 | Delaware | $2,203 | -$184 | 12 months and 1 day |
| 38 | Indiana | $1,932 | -$162 | 12 months |
| 39 | Nevada | $2,212 | -$181 | 11 months and 26 days |
| 40 | Alabama | $2,013 | -$163 | 11 months and 22 days |
| 41 | Nebraska | $2,029 | -$164 | 11 months and 21 days |
| 42 | Hawaii | $2,377 | -$192 | 11 months and 20 days |
| 43 | Ohio | $2,013 | -$162 | 11 months and 20 days |
| 44 | Pennsylvania | $2,033 | -$159 | 11 months and 6 days |
| 45 | Kentucky | $1,857 | -$145 | 11 months and 5 days |
| 46 | Tennessee | $2,073 | -$161 | 11 months and 3 days |
| 47 | Louisiana | $2,083 | -$158 | 10 months and 29 days |
| 48 | Iowa | $1,809 | -$137 | 10 months and 29 days |
| 49 | West Virginia | $1,860 | -$140 | 10 months and 27 days |
| 50 | Arkansas | $1,949 | -$144 | 10 months and 19 days |
| 51 | Mississippi | $1,806 | -$121 | 9 months and 18 days |