Credit Card Statistics

Alina Comoreanu, WalletHub Senior ResearcherJan 21, 2026

Alina Comoreanu, WalletHub Senior Researcher
Jan 21, 2026

Credit cards are integral to today's financial landscape, representing 35% of all payments in 2024, with usage rising by 9.38% from the previous year. The average person held five credit card accounts and paid an average of $514.65 in interest and fees in 2024. By Q3 2025, there were about 642 million credit card accounts in the U.S. and credit card debt had reached $1.33 trillion, with an average interest rate of 20.97% for all credit card accounts and 22.30% for accounts with finance charge.

Below, you will find additional statistics highlighting various aspects of credit card use.

Key Credit Card Statistics:

Average Household Debt: The average American household owes $11,019 in credit card debt in Q3 2025.
Number of Accounts: As of Q3 2025, there are about 642 million credit card accounts in the U.S.
Average APR for All Credit Card Accounts: 20.97% (Q4 2025)
Average APR for Accounts with Finance Charges: 22.30% (Q4 2025)
Customer Satisfaction: Customer satisfaction with credit cards received a score of 609 out of 1,000 in the JD Power and Associates Credit Card Satisfaction Study for 2023.
State Credit Card Counts: The average number of credit cards per person is highest in New Jersey at 3.24, while Iowa ranks least at 2.42.
Consistent Growth: Credit card usage has shown a steady increase over the past few years, with a 9.38% rise from 2023 to 2024.
Economic Influence: In households with an annual income exceeding $100,000, credit card usage is 2.1 times higher than in households with incomes below $25,000 per year.
Ethnicity Gap: When comparing ownership of credit cards, individuals of Asian heritage are 29% more likely to possess one than individuals of Black heritage, with 89% of Asians having a credit card.
Educational Background: People with a bachelor’s degree or higher are 85% more likely to own a credit card than those with less than a high school degree.
Quarterly Balance: The total credit card balance at the end of Q3 2025 was $1.23 trillion, with a credit card limit of $5.33 trillion, leaving only $4.10 trillion available.

Table of Contents

Credit Card Usage for Payments

Credit Card Usage Over Time

Credit card usage has shown a steady increase over the past few years, with a 9.38% rise from 2023 to 2024.

Learn more about credit card spending statistics.

Source: Diary of Consumer Payment Choice, Federal Reserve, 2025

Credit Card Usage by Age

Individuals aged 25 to 34 tend to rely on credit cards the most, with 35% of this age group using credit cards as their primary payment method, compared to just 28% of people aged 55 and older.

Source: Diary of Consumer Payment Choice, Federal Reserve, 2024

Credit Card Usage by Household Income

In households with an annual income exceeding $150,000, credit card usage is 3 times higher than in households with incomes below $25,000 per year.

Learn more about credit card usage statistics.

Source: Diary of Consumer Payment Choice, Federal Reserve, 2025

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Credit Card Ownership

Credit Card Ownership by Age

People aged 60 and above are 46.03% more likely to own a credit card than people between the ages of 18 and 29.

Source: Federal Reserve Bank, 2025

Credit Card Ownership by Income

In households with annual incomes exceeding $100,000, credit card ownership stands at 97%, whereas households earning less than $25,000 per year have a 46% card ownership rate.

Source: Federal Reserve Bank, 2025

Credit Card Ownership by Race

Individuals of Asian heritage are 29% more likely to possess a credit card than individuals of Black heritage, with 89% of Asians having a credit card.

Source: Federal Reserve Bank, 2025

Credit Card Ownership by Level of Education

People with a bachelor’s degree or higher are 85% more likely to own a credit card than those with less than a high school degree.

Learn more about credit card ownership statistics.

Source: Federal Reserve Bank, 2022

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Credit Card Debt Over Time

Total credit card debt in Q3 2025 was approximately 1.7 times higher than in Q3 2004.

Learn more about credit card debt statistics.

Source: FRBNY Consumer Credit Panel & WalletHub data

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Historical Credit Card Interest Rates

Over the past decade, from Q4 2015 to Q4 2025, the average interest rate for all credit card accounts increased by 71.60%, while the average assessed interest rate for accounts with finance charges rose by 62.77%.

Learn more about historical credit card interest rates.

Source: Federal Reserve, 2025

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Credit Card Interest Rates by Category

Among all categories, interest rates increased the most for store credit cards (35.76%) from Q4 2015 to Q4 2025.

Learn more about credit card landscape report.

Source: WalletHub, 2025

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Credit Card Introductory Offers

Not much changed in rewards as the average cash back credit card’s initial rewards bonus increased by 0.69% in Q4 2025 compared to Q3 2025.
The average initial bonus awarded in terms of miles/points increased by 11.22% in Q4 2025 compared to the same period last year.
Credit card companies are emphasizing balance transfers over new-purchase financing, offering 0% intro rates on balance transfers for 14.3% longer.

Learn more from our quarterly credit card landscape report.

Source: WalletHub, 2025

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Credit Card Fees

The average credit card annual fee is $27.85 (26.48% higher vs. Q4 2024).
The average balance transfer fee is 2.98% (3.83% higher vs. Q4 2024).
The average foreign transaction fee on a credit card is 1.57% (0.63% lower vs. Q4 2024).
The average cash advance fee on a credit card is 4.01% (1.26% higher vs. Q4 2024).

Learn more from our quarterly credit card landscape report.

Source: WalletHub, 2025

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Credit Card Customer Satisfaction by Issuer

According to WalletHub's research, Discover has the highest overall customer satisfaction rating among the top 15 credit card companies, at 89.97, while Synchrony Bank ranks the lowest with a rating of 58.54.

Learn more about credit card customer satisfaction.

Source: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and WalletHub

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Credit Card Market Share by Issuer

The top 10 credit card issuers hold more than 82% of the credit card market share by purchase volume.

Learn more about credit card market share by issuer.

Source: Nilson Report, 2025

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Number of Credit Card Accounts

Over the past decade, from Q3 2015 to Q3 2025, the number of credit card accounts grew by 50.55%.

Learn more about number of credit cards and credit card holders.

Source: New York Fed Consumer Credit Panel, 2025

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Number of Credit Cards by State

New Jersey residents have the most credit cards per person, averaging 3.24, while Iowa residents have the fewest, averaging 2.42.

Learn more about credit card statistics by state.

Source: WalletHub data, 2025

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Credit Card Balances and Credit Limits Over Time

Overall, credit card balances added up to $1.23 trillion at the end of Q3 2025, and credit limits totaled $5.33 trillion, leaving only $4.10 trillion available.

Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Q3 2025

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Credit Card Delinquency & Charge-Off Rates

From 2004 to 2024, credit card delinquency rates fell by 22.87% and charge-off rates dropped by 9.52%.

Learn more about credit card delinquency rates and charge-offs.

Source: Federal Reserve Bank, 2025

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Credit Card Fraud by Year

Credit card fraud has increased significantly over the past decade, with 2.85 times as many cases in 2024 as there were in 2014.

Learn more about credit card fraud statistics.

Source: Consumer Sentinel Network, Annual Reports

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Full List of Statistics Pages

Credit Card Debt

Credit Card Interest Rates

Credit Card Usage and Ownership

Credit Card Market Share

Demographic and Regional Statistics

Credit Card Performance and Customer Experience

Credit Card Security and Fraud

Credit Card Fraud Statistics

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Credit Card Statistics FAQ(8 questions)

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Upvotes

What percentage of people are in credit card debt?

Maria Adams, Credit Cards Moderator

Around 60% of people are in credit card debt, according to 2021 data. In 2023, 8 in 10 adults in the U.S. (82%) reported having at least one credit card and 73% of those adults carried a balance. Also, nearly 48% of credit card accounts carry debt, according to the latest reports. For more context, out of the 600 million credit card accounts, over 280 million carried a monthly balance, indicating that millions of people in the U.S. have credit card debt.

Shedding more light on this issue, people between the ages of 30 and 59 have an average of 131.47% more credit card debt than their older and younger counterparts. To delve deeper into credit card debt trends in the U.S., you can read WalletHub's latest Credit Card Debt Study.

Credit cards offer plenty of perks, from rewards on every purchase to 0% APRs, but they can also get accountholders into trouble if they aren't careful. Reducing debt and adopting sustainable spending habits are particularly important.

Upvotes

What's the average credit card debt by age?

WalletHub

The average credit card debt by age ranges from $4,070 for people between the ages of 18 and 35 to $3,990 for people aged 75+. The combined average credit card debt (for all ages) is roughly $10,668 per household, according to WalletHub data and FDIC. It's even higher if you only consider households that carry a balance from month to month.

Average Credit Card Debt by Age Range:

18-35: $4,070
35-44: $6,370
45-54:...

Upvotes

Whats the average credit card debt for college students?

Christie Matherne, Credit Card Writer

The average credit card debt for college students is $3,280, according to College Finance. This debt has become increasingly popular among college students. Plus, according to the College Finance study, it causes the most worry among college students, even more so than student loans.

What you should know about college student credit card debt:

37.6% of college students are behind on their payments while 44.7% of them are only paying their minimum amount.

Upvotes

What is the average credit card debt held by Gen X?

Adam McCann, Financial Writer

The average credit card debt held by Gen X (ages 43-58) is $8,134, according to Q3 2022 data from the credit bureau Experian. One reason Gen X's credit card debt is so high is that money is tight for people in this age group, between paying for things like mortgages and their children's college expenses.

In addition, since people in Gen X have had more credit experience than younger generations, and are likely close...

Upvotes

How much is the average monthly credit card bill?

John S Kiernan, Managing Editor

The average monthly credit card bill is a minimum payment of $132.36, based on the average American credit card balance of $6,618 and the average minimum payment percentage of 2%. It would take over 7 years of minimum payments for the average person to pay off their total credit card bill – assuming there are no new purchases – and it would cost roughly $3,610 in interest. That assumes the average APR on all existing credit...

Upvotes

What is the average number of credit cards to have?

Ryan P Page, Staff Writer

The average number of credit cards to have is about 3 credit cards per person, excluding store cards. However, there is no golden rule for how many credit cards you should have. Having credit cards for different purposes can help you maximize savings while increasing spending power, and it can also help improve your credit if you use the cards responsibly.

As you might expect, the average number of cards per person changes across different age groups....

Upvotes

What percentage of America is debt free?

Adam McCann, Financial Writer

Around 23% of Americans are debt free, according to the most recent data available from the Federal Reserve. That figure factors in every type of debt, from credit card balances and student loans to mortgages, car loans and more.

The exact definition of debt free can vary, though, depending on whom you ask. For example, some people don't count mortgages because they are viewed as “good debt” by creditors, since they are secured by...

Upvotes

What are 3 things you should know about credit cards?

John Miller, Credit Cards Moderator

Three things you should know about credit cards are that on-time payments are important, interest can be avoided if you pay your balance in full before the due date, and your credit score can be affected, depending on how you use your card.

Before applying for a credit card - especially if it's your first one - you should know that they are one of the best ways to build credit and save money on everyday purchases. But it's also good to know...

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