Credit Card Utilization Rates by State
Examine the geographic differences in credit utilization—the ratio of credit card balances to limits. High utilization often correlates with larger credit score impacts.
National Average
51.98%
Across all 50 states and DC
Highest Average
Lowest Average
State-by-State Distribution
Visualization of percentage carrying balance across the US.
Showing top 20 states by volume. Download CSV for full 50-state dataset.
Complete 50-State Data Table
Ranked highest to lowest.
| Rank | State | Percentage Carrying Balance |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 60% |
| 2 | Nevada | 59% |
| 3 | Utah | 59% |
| 4 | Wyoming | 59% |
| 5 | Alaska | 58% |
| 6 | Iowa | 58% |
| 7 | Louisiana | 58% |
| 8 | North Carolina | 58% |
| 9 | Idaho | 57% |
| 10 | Kentucky | 57% |
| 11 | Oklahoma | 57% |
| 12 | California | 56% |
| 13 | District of Columbia | 56% |
| 14 | Texas | 56% |
| 15 | Virginia | 56% |
| 16 | Georgia | 55% |
| 17 | Missouri | 55% |
| 18 | Rhode Island | 55% |
| 19 | Minnesota | 54% |
| 20 | Colorado | 53% |
| 21 | New York | 53% |
| 22 | Wisconsin | 53% |
| 23 | Maine | 52% |
| 24 | Massachusetts | 52% |
| 25 | Michigan | 52% |
| 26 | Tennessee | 52% |
| 27 | Vermont | 52% |
| 28 | Kansas | 51% |
| 29 | South Dakota | 51% |
| 30 | Indiana | 50% |
| 31 | New Hampshire | 50% |
| 32 | Ohio | 50% |
| 33 | West Virginia | 50% |
| 34 | Arizona | 49% |
| 35 | Alabama | 48% |
| 36 | Connecticut | 48% |
| 37 | Florida | 48% |
| 38 | Maryland | 48% |
| 39 | Nebraska | 48% |
| 40 | North Dakota | 48% |
| 41 | Oregon | 48% |
| 42 | Pennsylvania | 48% |
| 43 | Delaware | 47% |
| 44 | New Mexico | 47% |
| 45 | South Carolina | 47% |
| 46 | Arkansas | 46% |
| 47 | Mississippi | 46% |
| 48 | Montana | 46% |
| 49 | Hawaii | 45% |
| 50 | Illinois | 45% |
| 51 | New Jersey | 45% |
Data Source: Compiled by iCreditCalculators Financial Data Team, 2025
Expert Analysis: What This Data Means
Based on the latest state-by-state data for Credit Card Utilization Rates by State, we observe significant geographic disparities driven by local cost-of-living index variations and regional economic policies.
Key Insights
- States with higher average incomes consistently show elevated absolute debt levels but often maintain healthier utilization ratios.
- The data indicates a growing polarization between coastal metropolitan hubs and midwestern states regarding credit dependency.
- Consumers in the top 5 ranking states should prioritize aggressive debt consolidation strategies to avoid compounding interest traps.
Want to see how your personal situation compares to your state average? Use our credit utilization calculator to run a personalized scenario and build an optimization plan.
Use This Data in Your Reporting
We provide this data free of charge for journalists and researchers. Please cite iCreditCalculators with a link back to this exact page if you reference these statistics.
iCreditCalculators Data Intelligence. (2025). Credit Card Utilization Rates by State. Retrieved from https://icreditcalculators.com/data-hub/credit-card-utilization-rates-by-state