US Household Debt Hits $19.1 Trillion, Cards Reach Record

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported that U.S. household debt reached $19.1 trillion in the third quarter of 2026, while credit-card balances climbed to a record $1.29 trillion. Household debt rose about $334 billion from the previous quarter, and card balances increased by $22 billion, according to the bank’s report.

The report, released Tuesday, said 5.0% of outstanding household debt was in some stage of delinquency at the end of September, up 0.3 percentage points from the previous quarter. The measure covers household debt broadly, rather than credit cards alone.

A companion New York Fed analysis found a marked difference in serious credit-card delinquency across neighborhoods. Over the past year, 10.3% of credit-card balances in the lowest-income neighborhoods became seriously delinquent, compared with 4.4% in the wealthiest neighborhoods. Researchers attributed the rise in card delinquency since 2022 largely to high inflation and increased borrowing costs, and said expanded pandemic-era lending to lower-income, lower-credit-score borrowers had also contributed. They said that lending effect is fading as newer cards go to borrowers with higher scores.