Greetings—

While credit can be a lifeline during emergencies and a path to education and homeownership, delinquent debt can burden people’s financial well-being. Young adults ages 18 to 24 are particularly vulnerable to certain debt types.

The latest update to the Urban Institute’s Debt in America Interactive Map displays state-level data for credit card, medical, student loan, and auto/retail debt for adults and young adults. Equipped with this tool, local leaders and advocates can view and compare local trends on how debt affects communities—including young adults—nationwide.

Using credit bureau data from August 2025, researchers found that among young adults:

About 10.5 percent of student loan borrowers nationwide are 60 or more days late on their payments. Southern states have the highest delinquency rates, with Mississippi (18.5 percent), the District of Columbia (16.5 percent), and Louisiana (15.8 percent) topping the list.
Borrowers in the District of Columbia (14.2 percent), Mississippi (10.1 percent), and Louisiana (9.8 percent) also carry the highest auto and retail loan delinquency rates. Maine (1.9 percent), Hawaii (2.8 percent), and Vermont (2.9 percent) carry the lowest delinquency rates.
Delinquency rates for credit card debt are the largest in Mississippi (9.3 percent), Arkansas (8.4 percent), and Louisiana (8.0 percent). Hawaii (3.4 percent), Alaska (3.5 percent), and Minnesota (3.6 percent) have the lowest delinquency rates.

The debt people carry is only one piece of the puzzle when evaluating how Americans are faring financially. In our three-part series, Urban experts are providing timely data tools that examine affordability, the building blocks to generating wealth, and the debt holding some Americans back from financial security.  

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Thanks,

- The Stakeholder Outreach team

U R B A N I N S T I T U T E
www.urban.org

Urban Institute is a nonprofit research organization that believes in the power of evidence to improve people’s lives. Urban as an organization does not take policy positions but Urban’s independent experts are empowered to make recommendations based on their research.

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