Credit card debt is common, and it's costly.

Answer:

• Total U.S. credit card debt: $1.21 trillion
• Average debt per customer: $5,595

Questions:

• What are some of the reasons people accumulate credit card debt?
• Imagine you had that average amount of credit card debt. How would you feel? What would you do?
• What are the consequences of carrying a balance on your credit card (ie. not paying the bill in full each month)?
• What strategies can people use to avoid or pay off credit card debt?

Here are the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.

Behind the numbers (Academy Bank):

"Credit card debt continues to rise nationwide. By the second quarter of 2025, American adults collectively carried more than $1.21 trillion in credit card debt.4 This is one of the highest totals on record and an increase of 6.14% increase from the previous year. On an individual level, that translates to an average balance of about $5,595 per cardholder.

Looking across generational trends, every age group increased their average credit card balance between 2023 and 2025. Among those generations, Gen X has consistently carried the highest average credit card debt in recent years."

About the Author

Kathryn Dawson

Kathryn (she/her) is excited to join the NGPF team after 9 years of experience in education as a mentor, tutor, and special education teacher. She is a graduate of Cornell University with a degree in policy analysis and management and has a master's degree in education from Brooklyn College. Kathryn is looking forward to bringing her passion for accessibility and educational justice into curriculum design at NGPF. During her free time, Kathryn loves embarking on cooking projects, walking around her Seattle neighborhood with her dog, or lounging in a hammock with a book.

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