Mapped: Where Americans Have the Most Debt Per Person

How Personal Debt Varies Across America

Key Takeaways

• Americans with a credit report carry an average of $63,200 in personal debt, including mortgages, auto loans, credit cards, and student loans.

• Washington, D.C. has the highest average debt at $102,400 per person, nearly three times West Virginia’s $37,900.

• Colorado ranks second nationally at $92,690, ahead of California, Washington, and Hawaii.

Americans owe trillions of dollars across mortgages, credit cards, auto loans, and student debt. But the amount people owe varies dramatically by location, with some of the highest balances concentrated in expensive housing markets.

This graphic maps average debt per person by state using Q4 2025 data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

The figures cover residents with a credit report and combine major forms of household borrowing, making the map a measure of outstanding debt balances rather than financial distress or ability to repay.

Where Americans Carry the Most Personal Debt

Washington, D.C. leads the country in average personal debt, followed by Colorado and California. Colorado’s second-place ranking is particularly notable, putting it ahead of several states known for expensive housing, including California and Hawaii.

At the other end of the spectrum, West Virginia, Mississippi, and Arkansas have the lowest average debt balances.

RankState or DistrictTotal Personal Debt Per Person (Q4 2025)

1District of Columbia$102,400

2Colorado$92,690

3California$87,850

4Washington$85,880

5Hawaii$83,480

6Utah$83,350

7Maryland$81,390

8Massachusetts$77,400

9Virginia$77,060

10Nevada$71,260

11Arizona$70,850

12Oregon$69,640

13New Jersey$69,550

14Alaska$69,460

15Idaho$69,450

16Connecticut$67,530

17New Hampshire$66,480

18Delaware$66,170

19Minnesota$63,860

20Georgia$62,070

21Florida$61,890

22North Carolina$61,070

23Rhode Island$60,090

24Texas$60,020

25South Carolina$59,460

26New York$59,420

27Montana$58,390

28Wyoming$57,120

29Tennessee$56,690

30Illinois$54,050

31Maine$53,360

32North Dakota$53,300

33Vermont$52,910

34South Dakota$52,270

35Pennsylvania$50,360

36Nebraska$49,530

37Missouri$49,420

38Indiana$49,330

39New Mexico$49,260

40Wisconsin$49,210

41Alabama$48,910

42Louisiana$48,250

43Michigan$48,050

44Iowa$47,410

45Ohio$46,780

46Kansas$46,720

47Oklahoma$43,170

48Kentucky$43,160

49Arkansas$43,090

50Mississippi$41,450

51West Virginia$37,850

-- U.S. Average$63,200

Housing helps explain large differences in personal debt between states. In Colorado, mortgages account for 78% of average personal debt, compared with 55% in West Virginia.

Nationally, mortgages made up roughly 70% of America’s $18.8 trillion in household debt at the end of 2025. Because mortgages make up such a large share of debt, higher home prices can translate into larger average debt balances.

What Higher Debt Means for Americans Today

The amount Americans owe tells only part of the story. Monthly payments, interest rates, and household income ultimately determine how manageable that debt is.

For instance, Harvard’s 2026 housing report found that homeowners who moved in before 2020 had median first-mortgage payments roughly $800 lower per month than more recent movers, based on 2024 data.

For households facing higher housing costs and borrowing rates, those monthly payments can leave significantly less room for savings and everyday expenses.

The key distinction is between how much Americans owe and how difficult that debt is to repay. A homeowner with a large, low-interest mortgage may face less financial pressure than someone with a smaller balance carrying much higher interest costs.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the world’s most indebted households in 2026.