The 15 Worst and 10 Best Cities for Young Americans With Credit Card Debt

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

Credit cards used to be a convenience. Now they’re a necessity for millions of Americans relying on taking on debt for groceries, gas, and other daily essentials — all while facing the highest interest rates in decades and the lingering effects of historic inflation.

This financial pressure is especially acute for younger generations, who are navigating the early stages of their financial lives in a particularly unforgiving economic climate.

Younger Americans are more likely to overuse their credit cards and rack up lasting debt for several key reasons.

They are earlier in their careers with less accumulated savings to fall back on, and they face a particularly challenging job market for entry-level workers.

The fact that federal student loan payments have recently resumed has only compounded these financial challenges, squeezing monthly budgets even tighter.

As a result, more and more young adults are delinquent on their credit card payments, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, signaling a growing crisis for the nation’s youngest adults.

To identify where in the U.S. these financial pressures are most intense, researchers analyzed the most recent data from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. Learn more about their methodology at the end.

Here are the major American cities where young people struggle the most with credit card debt, followed by the cities where they struggle the least.

15. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL

• Share of Young Cardholders With Severely Delinquent Debt (2025): 17.7%
• Share of Young Cardholders With Severely Delinquent Debt (2022): 15.1%
• Average Credit Card Debt Among Young Cardholders: $4,480
• Share of Young Cardholders Utilizing >75% of Limit: 38.8%

14. Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC

• Share of Young Cardholders With Severely Delinquent Debt (2025): 17.8%
• Share of Young Cardholders With Severely Delinquent Debt (2022): 14.5%
• Average Credit Card Debt Among Young Cardholders: $3,940
• Share of Young Cardholders Utilizing >75% of Limit: 36.3%

13. San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX

• Share of Young Cardholders With Severely Delinquent Debt (2025): 17.8%
• Share of Young Cardholders With Severely Delinquent Debt (2022): 12.9%
• Average Credit Card Debt Among Young Cardholders: $4,148
• Share of Young Cardholders Utilizing >75% of Limit: 42.6%

12. Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC

• Share of Young Cardholders With Severely Delinquent Debt (2025): 17.8%
• Share of Young Cardholders With Severely Delinquent Debt (2022): 14.3%
• Average Credit Card Debt Among Young Cardholders: $5,057
• Share of Young Cardholders Utilizing >75% of Limit: 42.1%

11. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL

• Share of Young Cardholders With Severely Delinquent Debt (2025): 17.9%
• Share of Young Cardholders With Severely Delinquent Debt (2022): 13.9%
• Average Credit Card Debt Among Young Cardholders: $4,310
• Share of Young Cardholders Utilizing >75% of Limit: 38.4%

10. Cleveland, OH

• Share of Young Cardholders With Severely Delinquent Debt (2025): 18.0%
• Share of Young Cardholders With Severely Delinquent Debt (2022): 12.1%
• Average Credit Card Debt Among Young Cardholders: $3,524
• Share of Young Cardholders Utilizing >75% of Limit: 34.9%

9. Tucson, AZ

• Share of Young Cardholders With Severely Delinquent Debt (2025): 18.1%
• Share of Young Cardholders With Severely Delinquent Debt (2022): 13.2%
• Average Credit Card Debt Among Young Cardholders: $4,014
• Share of Young Cardholders Utilizing >75% of Limit: 40.7%

8. Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

• Share of Young Cardholders With Severely Delinquent Debt (2025): 18.3%
• Share of Young Cardholders With Severely Delinquent Debt (2022): 13.3%
• Average Credit Card Debt Among Young Cardholders: $4,257
• Share of Young Cardholders Utilizing >75% of Limit: 40.6%

7. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL

• Share of Young Cardholders With Severely Delinquent Debt (2025): 18.7%
• Share of Young Cardholders With Severely Delinquent Debt (2022): 14.4%
• Average Credit Card Debt Among Young Cardholders: $4,302
• Share of Young Cardholders Utilizing >75% of Limit: 40.6%

6. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA

• Share of Young Cardholders With Severely Delinquent Debt (2025): 19.0%
• Share of Young Cardholders With Severely Delinquent Debt (2022): 13.6%
• Average Credit Card Debt Among Young Cardholders: $4,639
• Share of Young Cardholders Utilizing >75% of Limit: 42.9%

5. Birmingham, AL

• Share of Young Cardholders With Severely Delinquent Debt (2025): 19.3%
• Share of Young Cardholders With Severely Delinquent Debt (2022): 15.4%
• Average Credit Card Debt Among Young Cardholders: $3,847
• Share of Young Cardholders Utilizing >75% of Limit: 41.7%

4. Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV

• Share of Young Cardholders With Severely Delinquent Debt (2025): 19.9%
• Share of Young Cardholders With Severely Delinquent Debt (2022): 14.7%
• Average Credit Card Debt Among Young Cardholders: $4,931
• Share of Young Cardholders Utilizing >75% of Limit: 43.1%

3. Jacksonville, FL

• Share of Young Cardholders With Severely Delinquent Debt (2025): 20.4%
• Share of Young Cardholders With Severely Delinquent Debt (2022): 16.8%
• Average Credit Card Debt Among Young Cardholders: $4,317
• Share of Young Cardholders Utilizing >75% of Limit: 42.3%

2. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

• Share of Young Cardholders With Severely Delinquent Debt (2025): 20.8%
• Share of Young Cardholders With Severely Delinquent Debt (2022): 15.9%
• Average Credit Card Debt Among Young Cardholders: $4,318
• Share of Young Cardholders Utilizing >75% of Limit: 41.5%

1. Memphis, TN-MS-AR

• Share of Young Cardholders With Severely Delinquent Debt (2025): 27.5%
• Share of Young Cardholders With Severely Delinquent Debt (2022): 21.2%
• Average Credit Card Debt Among Young Cardholders: $3,699
• Share of Young Cardholders Utilizing >75% of Limit: 49.7%

10 Cities Where Young People Struggle the Least With Credit Card Debt

Here are the major metro areas with the lowest rates of severe credit card delinquency among young adults, showing 2025 delinquency rates and average debt:

1. San Jose, CA: 7.1%, $3,943
2. San Francisco, CA: 9.1%, $4,263
3. Seattle, WA: 9.2%, $4,284
4. Boston, MA: 9.4%, $3,812
5. Minneapolis, MN: 9.9%, $3,710
6. Salt Lake City, UT: 10.4%, $3,641
7. Honolulu, HI: 10.5%, $4,920
8. Portland, OR: 11.2%, $4,091
9. Denver, CO: 12.1%, $4,550
10. Washington, DC: 12.3%, $4,302

Methodology

To determine where young people are struggling the most with credit card debt, researchers at Upgraded Points analyzed the latest data from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s Consumer Credit Explorer.

The analysis looked at credit cardholders ages 18 to 34 and used their data to calculate the share of young cardholders with severely delinquent credit card debt in both Q1 2025 and Q1 2022, as well as their average credit card debt and the share of them utilizing over 75% of their credit limits.

Credit card debt is considered severely delinquent after 90 days.