Credit card debt racked up for many Americans in 2025
Are you looking to improve your financial situation and spending in 2026? You will not be alone. A new study from Wallet Hub shows the average household has serious credit card debt.
The study looked at the third quarter of 2025 and showed the average American household had more than $11,000 of credit card debt. That’s about $1.33 trillion for the whole country.
When the numbers are adjusted for inflation, it is actually a very slight decrease year over year.
“Credit card debt is down 0.2% after adjusting for inflation, but it’s up 3% without adjusting for inflation,” said Chip Lupo, an analyst who covers credit cards for Wallet Hub. “That’s a record high for October.”
Lupo said it is a staggering number, but it’s still $192 billion below the record set in 2007.
“Remember what was going on in 2007 and 2008, right on the verge of the Great Recession,” Lupo said.
Though, Lupo said there is light at the end of the tunnel after inflationary times.
“People who are shopping for groceries or filling up their gas tanks are seeing lower prices. So, there’s some optimism there,” Lupo said.
Credit lenders are also tightening standards as well. For a lot of folks credit isn’t available, and Lupo said people are learning to do more with less.