This brief highlights trends in total consumer debt in the Third District states of Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania as of the first quarter of 2025.
Here are some key findings:
- About the same share of consumers had debt compared with the same period a year before, although more New Jersey and Delaware consumers carried debt than U.S. consumers overall.
- Average total debt was $65,900 in Pennsylvania, $84,300 in Delaware, and $87,900 in New Jersey.
- The share of borrowers with severely delinquent debt has been on the rise, most recently reaching levels not seen in over 10 years.
- The share of consumers with subprime credit has been on the rise since early 2022, with rates among borrowers in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods reaching as much as double those of their middle- and upper-income counterparts.
- Borrowers in the Vineland, NJ, Dover, DE, and Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA, metropolitan areas were most likely to have debt sent to collections or to have subprime credit.
This brief uses data from the Consumer Credit Explorer, a user-friendly tool for examining how people across the United States are using credit cards and loans over time. The tool allows users to look at quarterly trends for the whole country, specific states, or regions.
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