Most Americans have at least some debt, but it starts to become a problem when the amount of money they owe outgrows their income.
The so-called debt-to-income ratio compares how much someone owes each month to how much they earn. So far this year, the average debt has inched up to $22,713 from $21,800, according to recent survey data from Northwestern Mutual. Two-thirds of respondents said they hold at least some debt, largely due to credit cards, and auto and education loans.
Recent data from the Federal Reserve and an analysis of internet search trends by commercial collection agency The Kaplan Group point to how rising debt burdens are distributed across states, based on the debt-to-income ratio in each state on a monthly basis.
Using Google Trends data, Kaplan found that searches for “debt relief” grew 49% over the past year, suggesting that debt is a growing concern for Americans.
Click through to see the five states that are the most burdened by household debt, and the five that are the least.
