{"id":862811,"date":"2026-06-12T18:55:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T18:55:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/862811\/"},"modified":"2026-06-12T18:55:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T18:55:15","slug":"houston-residents-carry-nearly-45000-in-debt-on-average-new-study-shows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/862811\/","title":{"rendered":"Houston residents carry nearly $45,000 in debt on average, new study shows"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">Americans are carrying more debt than ever before, and new data shows Houston residents are among the most burdened in the nation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">Total household debt in the United States has climbed to a record $18.8 trillion, raising concerns as many families continue to grapple with higher costs for housing, groceries, insurance and other essentials.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">The problem is especially pronounced in Houston.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">According to a recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lendingtree.com\/debt-consolidation\/debt-ridden-places-study\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.lendingtree.com\/debt-consolidation\/debt-ridden-places-study\/\">LendingTree analysis<\/a> of the 50 largest U.S. metropolitan areas, Houston ranks as the third most debt-ridden major metro in America, with residents carrying an average of $44,640 in non-mortgage debt. Only Austin ($45,920) and San Antonio ($44,812) ranked higher.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">The average non-mortgage debt across the nation\u2019s 50 largest metros is $37,827, meaning Houston residents carry nearly $7,000 more debt than the average resident of a major metro.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s driving Houston\u2019s debt?<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">LendingTree found that auto loans account for the largest share of non-mortgage debt among many Americans, and Houston is no exception.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">The average Houston resident carries:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 etvbxt font_openSans articleList\">\n<li class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Stack-vJ7SwH7U__StackBase-sc-1m5bkhd-0 evEXvX dsnUCb\">\n<p>$16,357 in auto loan debt<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Stack-vJ7SwH7U__StackBase-sc-1m5bkhd-0 evEXvX dsnUCb\">\n<p>$12,556 in student loan debt<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Stack-vJ7SwH7U__StackBase-sc-1m5bkhd-0 evEXvX dsnUCb\">\n<p>$8,583 in credit card debt<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Stack-vJ7SwH7U__StackBase-sc-1m5bkhd-0 evEXvX dsnUCb\">\n<p>$4,473 in personal loan debt<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">Nearly 98% of Houston-area residents have some form of non-mortgage debt, according to the study.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">Researchers noted that Texas cities consistently rank among the nation\u2019s most debt-burdened metros, in part because residents often rely heavily on vehicles and frequently take on larger auto loans.<\/p>\n<p>What families can do if they\u2019re struggling<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">Consumer advocates say people feeling overwhelmed by debt should act quickly rather than wait until payments become unmanageable.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">Financial experts recommend:<\/p>\n<ol class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 UQlG font_openSans articleList\">\n<li class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Stack-vJ7SwH7U__StackBase-sc-1m5bkhd-0 evEXvX dsnUCb\">\n<p>Creating a detailed budget to identify where money is being spent.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Stack-vJ7SwH7U__StackBase-sc-1m5bkhd-0 evEXvX dsnUCb\">\n<p>Contacting lenders and credit card companies about hardship programs or lower interest rates.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Stack-vJ7SwH7U__StackBase-sc-1m5bkhd-0 evEXvX dsnUCb\">\n<p>Working with a nonprofit credit counseling agency to develop a debt repayment plan.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">\u201cThese firms will create a budget for you, put you on a path to recovery and help lower interest rates for you,\u201d KPRC 2 consumer reporter Bill Spencer said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">Nonprofit credit counseling organizations can often help consumers consolidate payments, negotiate with creditors and develop long-term financial plans at little or no cost.<\/p>\n<p>Inflation continues to strain budgets<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">The growing debt burden comes as Americans continue to feel the effects of inflation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">Although inflation has cooled from its pandemic-era highs, many households are still paying significantly more for everyday necessities than they were just a few years ago. Experts say rising costs have forced some families to rely more heavily on credit cards and loans to cover expenses.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Box-_wrDxHtU__Box-sc-10sa3ie-0 Text-nO2aZ44r__TextBase-sc-s2hv5x-0 jJNfBD fSvavs article-text\">Financial counselors say the earlier consumers seek help, the easier it is to regain control of their finances before debt spirals further out of reach.<\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston &#8211; All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Americans are carrying more debt than ever before, and new data shows Houston residents are among the most&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":862812,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5130],"tags":[75852,351832,26448,351834,4345,351831,351833,358,351835,3187],"class_list":["post-862811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-auto-loan","tag-credit-counseling-texas","tag-debt","tag-financial-advice-houston","tag-houston","tag-houston-debt","tag-inflation-and-debt","tag-texas","tag-texas-debt-statistics","tag-tx"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116738662457807361","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862811","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=862811"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862811\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/862812"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=862811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=862811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=862811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}