How many Americans are debt free?
Living debt free: 54.2% Living comfortably, but not necessarily being rich: 50% The ability to regularly meet all of their financial obligations and still have some money left over each month: 49.3% Never having to worry about money: 46.2%
What percentage of America is debt-free? According to that same Experian study, less than 25% of American households are debt-free. This figure may be small for a variety of reasons, particularly because of the high number of home mortgages and auto loans many Americans have.
As credit card debt among Americans continues to grow and paying with plastic becomes more common, a new survey on credit card usage from Lantern by SoFi says that just 13% of respondents carry a $0 balance from month to month.
However, 35% of Americans reported that they're in the most debt of their lives. New York Fed data shows that U.S. household debt swelled to $17.5 trillion last quarter, with credit card balances making up about $1.13 trillion of it — a new high for credit card debt.
Only about 30 percent of U.S. adults manage to live a debt free lifestyle. But even if it's a tough thing to achieve, it's still doable. If you've been wondering how to become debt free, start by following these simple steps.
45% of young adults say they are completely financially independent from their parents. Among those in their early 30s, that share rises to 67%, compared with 44% of those ages 25 to 29 and 16% of those ages 18 to 24. 44% of young adults say they received financial help from their parents in the past year.
49 percent of credit card holders are carrying a credit card balance from month to month — an increase from 39 percent in 2021. Generation X leads the pack, with 55 percent saying they carry a credit card balance, followed by millennials at 51 percent, Gen Zers at 48 percent and baby boomers at 44 percent.
There were about 572 million credit card accounts in the U.S. as of 2022, and 84% of adults had at least one credit card in their wallet.
The numbers are consistently around 60%, meaning only 40% of Americans have enough savings to cover an unexpected expense without going into debt. As of January 2023, the report shows that 57% of Americans have less than $1,000 in savings.
The average debt an American owes is $104,215 across mortgage loans, home equity lines of credit, auto loans, credit card debt, student loan debt, and other debts like personal loans. Data from Experian breaks down the average debt a consumer holds based on type, age, credit score, and state.
How many people don't pay their credit card in full?
The personal finance firm found that 49% of credit card users carry a balance from one month to the next. That's up a full 10 percentage points from 2021. Of those who revolve their balances, 58% — 56 million people — have been in debt for at least one year, according to Bankrate.
Overall, whether or not it's "bad" to have no debt depends on your individual circ*mstances and financial goals. If you're comfortable with your current financial situation and don't have any immediate plans to use debt to achieve your goals, then being debt-free can be a positive thing.
In terms of savings accounts specifically, you'll likely find different estimates from different sources. The average American has $65,100 in savings — excluding retirement assets — according to Northwestern Mutual's 2023 Planning & Progress Study. That's a 5% increase over the $62,000 reported in 2022.
According to a 2019 Experian study, men carry more debt than women across nearly all categories, including credit card debt — the study found that men have $125 more in credit card debt than women on average.
Generation | Average Credit Card Debt |
---|---|
Generation Z | $3,262 |
Millennials | $6,521 |
Generation X | $9,123 |
Baby boomers | $6,642 |
Are people with less debt happier? Yes, 97% of people with debt say they would be happier without it. People with debt are more likely to suffer depression or anxiety.
$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.
By the numbers: The share of mortgage-free U.S. homes has jumped from 34.3% to 39.3% in the past decade, per the census data. Between the lines: There can be a psychological perk to paying off a loan early, but according to some personal finance experts, it could be smarter to invest that money instead.
Nearly one in four (22%) of U.S. adults have no emergency savings at all, Bankrate found—the second-lowest percentage in 13 years of polling. That's especially bad news given that most Americans would need at least six months of emergency savings to feel comfortable day-to-day.
Americans say they'd need to earn about $94,000 a year on average to feel financially independent. That's about $20,000 more than the median household income of $74,580.
What percent of America is financially stable?
At the end of 2022, 73 percent of adults were doing at least okay financially, meaning they reported either "doing okay" financially (39 percent) or "living comfortably" (34 percent).
Running up $50,000 in credit card debt is not impossible. About two million Americans do it every year. Paying off that bill?
What is the average credit score? The average FICO credit score in the US is 717, according to the latest FICO data. The average VantageScore is 701 as of January 2024. Credit scores, which are like a grade for your borrowing history, fall in the range of 300 to 850.
Gen X has the highest average debt balance in all categories, except for personal loans. Here's the breakdown: Credit cards: Gen X have the highest credit card balance compared to other age groups, at $8,215. Auto loans: Gen X have the highest auto loan balance, at $21,570.
Here's why so many Americans are under pressure. Collectively, Americans owe $1.13 trillion on their credit cards, according to a new report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Higher prices have largely caused consumers to spend down their savings and lean on credit cards to make ends meet.
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