Mapped: Where Americans Carry the Most Household Debt

Mapped: Where Americans Carry the Most Household Debt

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Household debt varies widely across the U.S., with the highest debt-to-income ratio more than four times the lowest.

Using Federal Reserve data for Q4 2025, this map ranks every state and Washington, D.C. by household debt relative to disposable income.

Household Debt-to-Income by State

The table below ranks every state and Washington, D.C. by household debt-to-income ratio in Q4 2025. A ratio of 2.0 means households owe about twice their annual disposable income.

Rank	State or District	Household Debt-to-Income Ratio (Q4 2025)
1	Hawaii	2.03
2	Idaho	1.91
3	Utah	1.82
4	Arizona	1.78
5	Colorado	1.75
6	Maryland	1.75
7	South Carolina	1.69
8	Nevada	1.67
9	Florida	1.65
10	Oregon	1.63
11	Montana	1.62
12	Virginia	1.57
13	Delaware	1.55
14	California	1.54
15	Washington	1.51
16	North Carolina	1.47
17	Rhode Island	1.47
18	Maine	1.44
19	Alaska	1.43
20	New Mexico	1.43
21	Georgia	1.42
22	Wyoming	1.42
23	Mississippi	1.39
24	New Jersey	1.39
25	New Hampshire	1.38
26	Tennessee	1.37
27	Louisiana	1.34
28	Alabama	1.32
29	Vermont	1.28
30	Oklahoma	1.26
31	Indiana	1.23
32	Texas	1.23
33	South Dakota	1.23
34	West Virginia	1.23
35	Missouri	1.21
36	Minnesota	1.21
37	Arkansas	1.18
38	Michigan	1.18
39	Massachusetts	1.18
40	Iowa	1.18
41	Nebraska	1.17
42	Wisconsin	1.16
43	Kentucky	1.16
44	Connecticut	1.12
45	Ohio	1.11
46	Pennsylvania	1.10
47	Kansas	1.08
48	North Dakota	1.08
49	Illinois	1.06
50	New York	0.89
51	District of Columbia	0.49
—	U.S. State Average	1.37

Hawaii’s combination of extremely high home prices and limited housing supply has pushed its household debt-to-income ratio above 2.0.

A common thread links many of the highest-ranking states. Home prices have risen much faster than incomes over the past decade, requiring buyers to take on larger mortgages. Because mortgages account for roughly three-quarters of all U.S. household debt, higher home prices can translate directly into heavier debt burdens.

By contrast, many Midwestern states, including Illinois and North Dakota, rank near the bottom. Lower home prices relative to income have helped keep household debt comparatively modest.

California illustrates why debt-to-income can be more informative than debt alone. While its home prices rank among the nation’s highest, relatively high household incomes help offset larger mortgage balances, keeping the state’s ratio below several Mountain West states.

Why Debt Is Lowest in Washington, D.C. and New York

Washington, D.C. and New York have the lowest household debt-to-income ratios in the country.

Both have the country’s lowest homeownership rates, meaning fewer households carry mortgages. Combined with relatively high incomes, especially in Washington, D.C., this keeps debt low relative to disposable income despite expensive housing.

Debt Reflects More Than Borrowing

Household debt is often viewed as a measure of financial risk. At the state level, however, it also reflects the cost of entering the housing market. Where homeownership requires larger mortgages, debt tends to rise alongside home values.

Debt-to-income ratios offer a useful way to compare how heavily households rely on borrowing. In many states, rising debt reflects not just greater borrowing, but the growing cost of buying a home.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the salary needed to afford rent by state.

• Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-where-americans-carry-the-most-household-debt/