Being delinquent on a credit card is very bad for your credit score, and late payments remain on your credit report for seven years. Payments are only reported to the credit bureaus as delinquent once they are 30 days past due, though, so getting back on track as quickly as possible after a missed payment is ideal.
While some credit card delinquency is always inevitable, when the rates of delinquency increase, that can indicate the economy as a whole is struggling. Credit card delinquency is increasing in some states far more than others, though. To highlight the states where people are having the biggest issues paying their credit card bills, as well as the areas where borrowers are more on track, WalletHub analyzed proprietary user data from Q3 2023 to Q3 2024.
Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst
Main Findings
States Where Credit Card Delinquency Is Increasing Most
| Overall Rank* | State | Share of Credit Cards Delinquent in Q3 2024 | Change in Share of Credit Cards Delinquent (Q3 2024 vs. Q3 2023) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wyoming | 28.15% | 53.87% |
| 2 | Rhode Island | 21.56% | 43.94% |
| 3 | Alaska | 22.62% | 43.72% |
| 4 | Nebraska | 26.69% | 42.55% |
| 5 | Hawaii | 20.37% | 41.92% |
| 6 | New Jersey | 22.79% | 40.96% |
| 7 | Massachusetts | 20.04% | 40.18% |
| 8 | Oregon | 23.99% | 40.01% |
| 9 | Delaware | 30.94% | 39.91% |
| 10 | Ohio | 25.24% | 39.44% |
| 11 | California | 21.58% | 39.14% |
| 12 | New York | 21.45% | 39.10% |
| 13 | Iowa | 18.27% | 38.98% |
| 14 | Illinois | 23.49% | 38.93% |
| 15 | Idaho | 24.34% | 38.87% |
| 16 | Florida | 21.04% | 38.77% |
| 17 | Maryland | 26.17% | 37.80% |
| 18 | Washington | 20.87% | 37.74% |
| 19 | Colorado | 22.33% | 37.64% |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | 28.90% | 37.17% |
| 21 | Utah | 22.25% | 37.10% |
| 22 | Virginia | 26.58% | 36.91% |
| 23 | Kansas | 26.13% | 36.52% |
| 24 | Nevada | 26.96% | 36.38% |
| 25 | Maine | 25.53% | 36.15% |
| 26 | Arizona | 27.79% | 35.83% |
| 27 | Vermont | 22.57% | 35.80% |
| 28 | North Carolina | 33.81% | 35.58% |
| 29 | Connecticut | 24.94% | 35.49% |
| 30 | Michigan | 29.20% | 35.46% |
| 31 | Wisconsin | 25.60% | 35.22% |
| 32 | Texas | 34.45% | 34.49% |
| 33 | Louisiana | 44.63% | 34.34% |
| 34 | Missouri | 31.32% | 34.19% |
| 35 | Indiana | 33.61% | 33.74% |
| 36 | Georgia | 31.94% | 33.71% |
| 37 | New Hampshire | 21.36% | 33.60% |
| 38 | Montana | 22.33% | 33.45% |
| 39 | South Carolina | 37.19% | 33.18% |
| 40 | Minnesota | 27.08% | 32.09% |
| 41 | South Dakota | 26.30% | 32.02% |
| 42 | Alabama | 42.38% | 31.93% |
| 43 | West Virginia | 34.54% | 31.75% |
| 44 | Tennessee | 35.40% | 30.52% |
| 45 | Kentucky | 37.47% | 30.37% |
| 46 | New Mexico | 30.83% | 30.30% |
| 47 | Oklahoma | 37.99% | 29.41% |
| 48 | Arkansas | 40.49% | 28.86% |
| 49 | North Dakota | 27.41% | 26.29% |
| 50 | Mississippi | 52.30% | 25.53% |
Note: *No. 1 = Largest Increase
In-Depth Look at the States With the Biggest Increases
Wyoming
Credit card delinquency is increasing the most in Wyoming, as the state’s residents were delinquent on nearly 54% more credit cards in Q3 2024 than they were during Q3 2023.
Wyoming residents’ trouble making credit card payments is exacerbated by the fact that they have very large credit card debts in general. High levels of debt coupled with high interest rates can easily lead to increased levels of delinquency.
In addition, Wyoming only ranks 43rd among the best states for jobs, and lackluster job markets can make it more difficult for residents to keep up with credit card payments.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island had the second-highest increase in credit card delinquency. Residents were behind on payments for nearly 44% more credit cards in Q3 2024 compared to Q3 2023.
Rhode Island’s ranking in this study is initially surprising, given that the state only ranks around the middle of the country for the amount of credit card debt residents have. Rhode Islanders are also increasing that debt very slowly compared to people in most other states.
However, the increase in delinquency is likely tied to the fact that Rhode Island has a relatively high unemployment rate, which has gone up a lot recently. When people don’t have jobs, it naturally becomes a lot harder to keep up with credit card debt.
Alaska
Credit card delinquency in Alaska increased by almost 44% between Q3 2023 and Q3 2024, which ranks third nationally.
Alaskans have the highest median credit card debt in the entire country. They also have a lot of household debt in general and are adding to it quickly. The more debt a person has, the greater the chances are that it will become unsustainable and the debtor will be unable to make their payments.
In addition, Alaska only ranks 37th in the country for the strength of its economy and it has a fairly high unemployment rate, both of which further contribute to residents’ increased difficulties paying their debts.
Methodology
To determine the states most delinquent on credit cards, we analyzed WalletHub’s proprietary user data on consumer delinquency rates between Q3 2023 and Q3 2024.
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected as of December 19, 2024 from WalletHub database.
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