15 States Where the Most People Carry a Credit Card Balance

Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on Upgraded Points.

Despite increased costs and high interest rates, U.S. households have not been deterred from spending their money.

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, consumer spending in the U.S. increased by 24.1% from the first quarter of 2021 to the last quarter of 2023, which, in turn, led to a notable uptick in credit usage.

Total credit card debt in the U.S. surpassed $1 trillion for the first time in 2022, and throughout that year, card issuers levied over $130 billion in interest and fees.

This past year saw typical credit card interest rates soar to historic levels, which puts even greater pressure on households relying heavily on credit.

Unfortunately, carrying a credit card balance from month to month is more common than one might expect, given the high cost of doing so. Nationally, nearly 43% of adults acknowledge occasionally carrying a balance and incurring interest on their credit cards — an audience that stands to gain the most from a reduction in interest rates expected in 2024.

The following is a breakdown of where the most residents carry a credit card balance. The research was conducted by Upgraded Points using the latest data from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). For more details on how the analysis was conducted, refer to the methodology at the end.

1. West Virginia

• Card Holders Who Sometimes Carry a Balance and Pay Interest: 51.5%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Only Make the Minimum Payment: 39.2%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Use It for a Cash Advance: 12.5%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Pay Their Bill Late: 17.5%
• Mean Financial Literacy Score for Card Holders: 47.7%
• Average Credit Score (All Adults): 703

2. Mississippi

• Card Holders Who Sometimes Carry a Balance and Pay Interest: 51.3%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Only Make the Minimum Payment: 42.5%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Use It for a Cash Advance: 19.8%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Pay Their Bill Late: 22.1%
• Mean Financial Literacy Score for Card Holders: 42.9%
• Average Credit Score (All Adults): 680

3. Alaska

• Card Holders Who Sometimes Carry a Balance and Pay Interest: 49.1%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Only Make the Minimum Payment: 37.1%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Use It for a Cash Advance: 14.6%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Pay Their Bill Late: 18.5%
• Mean Financial Literacy Score for Card Holders: 55.6%
• Average Credit Score (All Adults): 722

4. Arkansas

• Card Holders Who Sometimes Carry a Balance and Pay Interest: 48.3%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Only Make the Minimum Payment: 40.7%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Use It for a Cash Advance: 18.1%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Pay Their Bill Late: 18.7%
• Mean Financial Literacy Score for Card Holders: 45.6%
• Average Credit Score (All Adults): 696

5. Montana

• Card Holders Who Sometimes Carry a Balance and Pay Interest: 48.2%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Only Make the Minimum Payment: 37.6%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Use It for a Cash Advance: 15.8%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Pay Their Bill Late: 15.9%
• Mean Financial Literacy Score for Card Holders: 55.1%
• Average Credit Score (All Adults): 732

6. Oklahoma

• Card Holders Who Sometimes Carry a Balance and Pay Interest: 48.2%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Only Make the Minimum Payment: 43.8%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Use It for a Cash Advance: 17.8%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Pay Their Bill Late: 17.9%
• Mean Financial Literacy Score for Card Holders: 47.6%
• Average Credit Score (All Adults): 696

7. Texas

• Card Holders Who Sometimes Carry a Balance and Pay Interest: 48.1%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Only Make the Minimum Payment: 40.9%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Use It for a Cash Advance: 19.1%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Pay Their Bill Late: 19.0%
• Mean Financial Literacy Score for Card Holders: 46.5%
• Average Credit Score (All Adults): 695

8. Ohio

• Card Holders Who Sometimes Carry a Balance and Pay Interest: 48.0%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Only Make the Minimum Payment: 36.5%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Use It for a Cash Advance: 14.2%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Pay Their Bill Late: 18.2%
• Mean Financial Literacy Score for Card Holders: 47.4%
• Average Credit Score (All Adults): 716

9. New Hampshire

• Card Holders Who Sometimes Carry a Balance and Pay Interest: 46.9%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Only Make the Minimum Payment: 34.0%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Use It for a Cash Advance: 10.3%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Pay Their Bill Late: 15.1%
• Mean Financial Literacy Score for Card Holders: 52.3%
• Average Credit Score (All Adults): 736

10. North Carolina

• Card Holders Who Sometimes Carry a Balance and Pay Interest: 46.7%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Only Make the Minimum Payment: 41.2%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Use It for a Cash Advance: 14.0%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Pay Their Bill Late: 19.0%
• Mean Financial Literacy Score for Card Holders: 47.5%
• Average Credit Score (All Adults): 709

11. Rhode Island

• Card Holders Who Sometimes Carry a Balance and Pay Interest: 46.6%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Only Make the Minimum Payment: 37.2%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Use It for a Cash Advance: 8.7%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Pay Their Bill Late: 17.2%
• Mean Financial Literacy Score for Card Holders: 51.7%
• Average Credit Score (All Adults): 722

12. Georgia

• Card Holders Who Sometimes Carry a Balance and Pay Interest: 46.5%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Only Make the Minimum Payment: 39.6%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Use It for a Cash Advance: 16.3%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Pay Their Bill Late: 20.5%
• Mean Financial Literacy Score for Card Holders: 45.1%
• Average Credit Score (All Adults): 695

13. New Mexico

• Card Holders Who Sometimes Carry a Balance and Pay Interest: 46.2%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Only Make the Minimum Payment: 38.9%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Use It for a Cash Advance: 15.5%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Pay Their Bill Late: 20.2%
• Mean Financial Literacy Score for Card Holders: 53.0%
• Average Credit Score (All Adults): 702

14. North Dakota

• Card Holders Who Sometimes Carry a Balance and Pay Interest: 46.0%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Only Make the Minimum Payment: 36.5%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Use It for a Cash Advance: 11.3%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Pay Their Bill Late: 17.8%
• Mean Financial Literacy Score for Card Holders: 55.1%
• Average Credit Score (All Adults): 733

15. Idaho

• Card Holders Who Sometimes Carry a Balance and Pay Interest: 45.9%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Only Make the Minimum Payment: 39.8%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Use It for a Cash Advance: 10.2%
• Card Holders Who Sometimes Pay Their Bill Late: 16.2%
• Mean Financial Literacy Score for Card Holders: 53.9%
• Average Credit Score (All Adults): 729

Methodology

Data sources included FINRA’s 2021 National Financial Capability Study and Experian’s 2023 Average FICO Score by State.

To determine which states would benefit most from credit card interest rate declines, Upgraded Points calculated the percentage of survey respondents in each state who reported sometimes carrying a credit card balance and subsequently paying interest.

In the event of a tie, the state with the higher percentage of respondents who reported sometimes only making the minimum credit card payment was ranked higher. Only survey respondents who hold at least one credit card were included.