Statistics · 2026 · Real Estate
Household Debt Statistics (2026)
U.S. households owed $18.77 trillion in Q2 2026, according to the New York Fed, $13.5 billion less than the prior quarter and the first quarterly drop since Q2 2020. Mortgages made up 70% of the total. Credit card balances reached $1.263 trillion, and 4.7% of all household debt was in some stage of delinquency.
Key takeaways
- Total household debt was $18.77 trillion in Q2 2026, up 2.1% from a year earlier and $4.6 trillion above the end of 2019.
- Balances fell $13.5 billion from Q1 2026, the first quarterly decline since Q2 2020; the New York Fed ties most of it to a mortgage reporting gap.
- Mortgages were $13.12 trillion, or 70% of all household debt.
- Credit card balances were $1.263 trillion, with 12.92% of balances 90 or more days late.
- 4.7% of household debt was delinquent, down from 4.8% in Q1 2026 but up from 4.4% a year earlier.
- Borrowers aged 40-49 owed the most, $4.93 trillion; Californians carried the most debt per person of the 11 states tracked.
How much household debt do Americans have?
American households owed $18.77 trillion at the end of June 2026, the New York Fed reports. That was $13.5 billion below Q1 2026, a 0.1% dip, and 2.1% above Q2 2025. Total debt is up $4.6 trillion since the end of 2019, just before the pandemic recession.
1. Total household debt: $18.77 trillion in Q2 2026
The New York Fed Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit sums mortgage, home equity, auto, credit card, student and other consumer debt on credit reports. Its 2026 Q2 data workbook reads 18.7705 trillion for Q2 2026.
2. Down $13.5 billion in one quarter, the first drop since Q2 2020
Q1 2026 set the series high at $18.78 trillion. Before Q2 2026, the last quarter in which total balances fell was Q2 2020, at the start of the pandemic (WealthyBud data · 94 quarters · Q1 2003–Q2 2026).
3. Up $4.6 trillion since the end of 2019
Households owed $14.14 trillion in Q4 2019. That is a 33% rise in nominal dollars over six and a half years (WealthyBud arithmetic). The figures are not adjusted for inflation or population growth.
These are balances on consumer credit reports. They exclude business loans and most debt owed to family or friends, so the totals differ from the Federal Reserve’s Z.1 household liabilities.
What makes up U.S. household debt?
Mostly mortgages. Home loans totaled $13.12 trillion in Q2 2026, 70% of all household debt, and home equity lines added $458.5 billion. The remaining $5.19 trillion was non-housing debt: auto loans $1.71 trillion, student loans $1.65 trillion, credit cards $1.263 trillion and other consumer loans.
4. Mortgage balances: $13.12 trillion, down $74 billion in the quarter
The New York Fed says the decline “was mostly due to a servicer transfer gap in the reporting of mortgages and otherwise it would have stayed flat.” A year earlier mortgage debt was $12.94 trillion.
5. Home equity lines: $458.5 billion, a 17th straight quarterly increase
HELOC balances rose $12.5 billion in Q2 2026, per the report, and are up $47.5 billion from a year earlier. Total HELOC credit limits reached $1.066 trillion.
6. Non-housing debt: $5.19 trillion, up $48 billion in the quarter
Auto loans rose to $1.713 trillion and other consumer debt to $568 billion. Student loans slipped to $1.651 trillion from $1.658 trillion in Q1 2026.
| Debt type | Balance, Q2 2026 | Share of total | Change vs Q2 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mortgage | $13.12 trillion | 69.9% | +$182 billion |
| Home equity line (HELOC) | $0.46 trillion | 2.4% | +$47.5 billion |
| Auto loan | $1.71 trillion | 9.1% | +$58 billion |
| Credit card | $1.26 trillion | 6.7% | +$54 billion |
| Student loan | $1.65 trillion | 8.8% | +$13 billion |
| Other (retail cards, consumer finance) | $0.57 trillion | 3.0% | +$28 billion |
| Total | $18.77 trillion | 100.0% | +$382.5 billion |
For the asset side, see home equity statistics.
How much credit card debt do Americans have?
Credit card balances were $1.263 trillion in Q2 2026, up $21 billion from Q1 2026 and $54 billion from a year earlier, per the New York Fed. The record was $1.277 trillion in Q4 2025. Cardholders were using about 23% of their combined credit limits.
7. Credit card balances: $1.263 trillion
That is 36% above the $0.927 trillion owed in Q4 2019. The Q2 2026 report also revised the Q1 2026 card balance, so older articles may cite a different figure.
8. Credit limits: $5.56 trillion; balances use 22.7% of them
Aggregate card limits rose $85 billion in Q2 2026. Utilization here is WealthyBud’s division of total balances by total limits.
9. 654 million open credit card accounts
The New York Fed counts accounts, not people, and does not de-duplicate joint accounts, so the number overstates cards per person.
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How much are households borrowing?
New borrowing held steady. Lenders added $505 billion of new mortgages to credit reports in Q2 2026, counting purchases and refinances, versus $458 billion a year earlier. New auto loans reached $211 billion. Mortgage originations remain far below their 2021 peak.
10. Mortgage originations: $505 billion in Q2 2026
That compares with a record $1,218 billion in Q2 2021. For today’s rates, see mortgage rate statistics.
11. Median credit score on new mortgages: 764
Half of new first-lien mortgage borrowers in Q2 2026 had a score above 764. The New York Fed switched to VantageScore 4.0 in Q1 2026, so scores before then are on a different scale.
12. Auto loan originations: $211 billion, the highest quarter since 2004
New auto loans on credit reports rose from $182 billion in Q1 2026. The report notes that the median credit score on new auto loans fell seven points in Q2 2026.
How much household debt is delinquent?
About 4.7% of household debt was at least 30 days late in Q2 2026, the New York Fed reports, down from 4.8% the prior quarter. Credit cards and student loans have the worst records: 12.92% and 10.60% of balances were 90 or more days late, against 0.99% for mortgages.
13. 4.7% of household debt delinquent in Q2 2026
A year earlier the share was 4.4%. The series peaked at 11.9% in Q4 2009, after the housing crash (WealthyBud arithmetic: 100% minus the share of balances current).
14. Credit cards: 12.92% of balances 90+ days late
That is up from 12.27% a year earlier. 8.69% of card balances moved into early delinquency over the past four quarters, the highest flow of any debt type the report tracks.
15. Student loans: 10.6% seriously delinquent
The report says the rate rose to 10.6% from 10.3% in Q1 2026. A year earlier, 10.16% of student loan balances were 90+ days late. Outstanding student debt totaled $1.65 trillion.
16. 4.9% of consumers have a third-party collection
That is down from 9.1% in Q4 2019. People with a collection item owed an average $1,577 on it. New bankruptcies affected about 136,800 consumers in Q2 2026.
| Debt type | 90+ days late, Q2 2026 | 90+ days late, Q2 2025 | Newly 30+ days late (annual rate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credit card | 12.92% | 12.27% | 8.69% |
| Student loan | 10.60% | 10.16% | 7.83% |
| Other | 9.61% | 9.61% | 7.46% |
| Auto loan | 5.49% | 4.99% | 7.87% |
| Home equity line | 0.99% | 0.85% | 2.22% |
| Mortgage | 0.99% | 0.82% | 3.95% |
| All household debt | 3.31% | 3.04% | 4.95% |
Mortgage distress is covered in more detail, including state data, in foreclosure statistics.
Which age group owes the most?
Borrowers in their forties. People aged 40-49 owed $4.93 trillion in Q2 2026, the most of any age group and about 26% of the total. Ages 50–59 followed at $4.13 trillion. Debt held by people 70+ grew fastest since 2019, up 60%.
17. Ages 40-49: $4.93 trillion of debt, including $3.60 trillion of mortgages
Mortgages are the bulk of debt for every age group above 30. Borrowers aged 30–39 owed $3.99 trillion; those under 30 owed $1.10 trillion. Groups sum to slightly less than the total because some birth years are unknown.
18. Borrowers 70+: debt up 60% since 2019
People 70+ owed $1.82 trillion in Q2 2026, versus $1.13 trillion in Q4 2019. Borrowers under 40 held $0.83 trillion of the $1.65 trillion in student loans (WealthyBud arithmetic on page 21).
| Age group | Total debt, Q2 2026 | Share | Total debt, Q4 2019 | Change | Mortgage debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-29 | $1.10 trillion | 6% | $1.04 trillion | 6% | $476.1 billion |
| 30-39 | $3.99 trillion | 21% | $3.00 trillion | 33% | $2,729 billion |
| 40-49 | $4.93 trillion | 26% | $3.56 trillion | 38% | $3,600 billion |
| 50-59 | $4.13 trillion | 22% | $3.26 trillion | 27% | $2,979 billion |
| 60-69 | $2.78 trillion | 15% | $2.14 trillion | 30% | $1,995 billion |
| 70+ | $1.82 trillion | 10% | $1.13 trillion | 60% | $1,324 billion |
Which states have the most debt per person?
Among the 11 large states in the New York Fed report, California had the most household debt per person with a credit report in Q2 2026, at $87,040, mainly because of large mortgages. Arizona and Nevada followed. Ohio was lowest at $46,370.
19. U.S. average: $63,460 of debt per person with a credit report
That is up from $51,740 in Q4 2019. Mortgage debt accounts for $44,340 of it and credit cards for $4,270.
20. Fastest growth since 2019: Nevada, Texas and Florida
Debt per person rose 41% in Nevada and 33% in Texas. Texas had the most auto debt per person at $8,240, versus $5,790 nationally.
| State | Total debt per person, Q2 2026 | Q4 2019 | Change | Mortgage debt per person |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $87,040 | $72,810 | 20% | $68,750 |
| Arizona | $72,690 | $55,630 | 31% | $53,430 |
| Nevada | $72,060 | $51,230 | 41% | $52,670 |
| New Jersey | $68,200 | $58,520 | 17% | $48,230 |
| Florida | $62,800 | $47,440 | 32% | $42,390 |
| Texas | $60,110 | $45,320 | 33% | $39,190 |
| New York | $57,680 | $51,940 | 11% | $39,460 |
| Illinois | $54,770 | $47,910 | 14% | $36,930 |
| Pennsylvania | $50,490 | $43,400 | 16% | $30,890 |
| Michigan | $48,730 | $39,560 | 23% | $31,270 |
| Ohio | $46,370 | $40,100 | 16% | $28,210 |
| U.S. average | $63,460 | $51,740 | 23% | $44,340 |
Compare housing costs in those states on the California, Nevada and Texas housing market hubs.
What this means for owners, buyers and investors
For homeowners, mortgages remain the best-performing household debt, with 0.99% of balances seriously late. The CFPB credit reports guide explains how missed payments affect your credit.
For buyers, card and auto debt count toward your debt-to-income ratio, so check what income a home needs on the income needed to buy a home page and the cheapest places to buy a house list.
For investors, household balances are rising at the margin but delinquency is far below 2009. Screen metros on the best places to invest in real estate ranking and run deals through the deal analyzer.
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