Which generation has the most credit card debt?
Americans collectively owe over $1 trillion in credit card debt. But one generation carries the most, on average: Gen X. The average credit card balance for Gen Xers, defined at those between the ages of 43 and 58, rose to $9,123 in the third quarter of 2023, according to Experian's latest available data.
Average American credit card debt by age
Gen X, ages 42-57, had the highest average credit card debt, at $8,134.
While Americans of all ages are grappling with higher balances, Gen Z and millennials are seeing the largest average increases in total debt and the steepest decline in credit scores, according to data provided to Fortune by personal finance company Credit Karma on tens of millions of member accounts.
- People aged 40-49 hold the highest amount of debt with $4.21 trillion in total.
- By 2030, Millennials (born between 1981 to 1996) are expected to have the most total debt at an average of $228,891 per person.
Credit card debt by generation
Generation X has an average of $8,134 in credit card debt. Baby boomers have an average of $6,245 in credit card debt. Millennials have an average of $5,649 in credit card debt. The Silent generation (born between 1928-1946) has an average of $3,316 in credit card debt.
Data showed that people 35 or younger have the lowest average credit card debt at $3,700. Around 48% of individuals in this age group carry debt. Adults 75 or older have the highest average credit card debt at $8,100, but just 28% of people in this age group have debt.
“While it may feel counterintuitive, the main reason men have more credit card debt than women is that men continue to make more money than women for the same work,” said Lorraine Ell, CEO of the financial advisory firm Better Money Decisions.
Comparatively, the generation with the least debt — Gen Zers (ages 18 to 26) — owes less than half as much, with an average balance of $21,665.
Many are burdened with student loans due to the rising costs of higher education, and they've faced economic instability as they start their careers and often struggle to find secure and well-paying jobs.
Gen Z's Financial Reality is an Everyday Struggle
According to research from ConsumerAffairs Research Team (2023): Workers in their twenties today have 86% less purchasing power than baby boomers did at the same age.
Which generation has the most millionaires?
Baby boomers currently hold 50% of all wealth in the United States spread across various asset classes, according to Fed data, followed by Gen X (29.5%), the silent generation (11.9%), and millennials (8.5%).
According to the US National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA), Gen Z has the lowest level of financial literacy, with only 28% of questions being answered correctly on average.
| Q3 2023 | Q3 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| Millennials27–42 | $6,521 $6,521 | $4,576 $4,576 |
| Gen X43–58 | $9,123 $9,123 | $7,070 $7,070 |
| Baby boomers59–77 | $6,642 $6,642 | $5,804 $5,804 |
| Silent Generation78+ | $3,412 $3,412 | $3,177 $3,177 |
Running up $50,000 in credit card debt is not impossible. About two million Americans do it every year.
$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. There are a few things you can do to pay your debt off faster - potentially saving thousands of dollars in the process.
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.
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.
A good goal is to be debt-free by retirement age, either 65 or earlier if you want. If you have other goals, such as taking a sabbatical or starting a business, you should make sure that your debt isn't going to hold you back.
The news: Gen Z's credit card debt is growing faster than that of any other generation, according to data from Credit Karma.
While race cannot legally affect credit scores, credit score disparities still exist among various racial groups. The Urban Institute collected a series of statistics that indicate white communities have the highest median credit score at 727, which falls well into the good range on both FICO and VantageScore models.
What is the average credit score for a woman?
Are the Average Credit Scores for Men and Women Different? Not materially. As of 2020 women had an average credit score of 704, while the average score for men was 705.
Young Americans and Credit Card Debt by the Numbers
Younger consumers and those newer to owning a credit card are not exempt from credit card debt. According to the GOBankingRates survey, 28% of Americans under the age of 24 have over $1,000 in credit card debt.
The World Happiness Report is out and Finland has once again been declared the happiest country in the world. However, the report reveals that Gen Z (aged 15-24) are unhappy.
Younger American (millennial and Gen Z) families represented 33.1% of households and owned 9.3% of total family wealth (72% less wealth) in 2023. The baby boomers' shortfall was the smallest of the generations. SOURCES: Distributional Financial Accounts and Institute for Economic Equity calculations.
More Millennial households are in poverty than households headed by any other generation. In 2016, an estimated 5.3 million of the nearly 17 million U.S. households living in poverty were headed by a Millennial, compared with 4.2 million headed by a Gen Xer and 5.0 million headed by a Baby Boomer.
