Mapped: Where U.S. Families are Most Strained by Debt
Update: 2025-10-30
Description
Mapped: Where U.S. Families are Most Strained by Debt
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Key Takeaways
- Hawaii and Idaho have the highest debt-to-income (DTI) ratio of the states at 2.06.
- This means households carry about $2 in debt for every $1 in annual income.
- High ratio states (~1.7–2.1) are often places with expensive housing or fast population growth (bigger mortgages, newer borrowers).
Americans are always worrying about debt: their own and their government’s.
This visualization maps each state by their household debt-to-income ratios (DTI) in Q1, 2025, revealing which states carry the heaviest burdens and which ones keep borrowing in check.
Data for this visualization comes from the Federal Reserve. The highest ratio is visualized per state.
Debt includes mortgages, autos, credit cards, etc., and excludes student loans. Income is based on unemployment insurance-covered wages, as reported to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.Which States Carry the Most Debt?
Two states share the top spot: Idaho and Hawaii both post a DTI of 2.06, meaning households owe just over twice their annual after-tax income.
| Rank | State | State Code | Debt-to-Income Ratio (2025) | Debt-to-Income Ratio (1999) | 1999–2025 Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Idaho | ID | 2.06 | 1.50 | 0.56 |
| 2 | Hawaii | HI | 2.06 | 2.06 | 0.00 |
| 3 | Arizona | AZ | 1.84 | 1.40 | 0.44 |
| 4 | Colorado | CO | 1.84 | 1.40 | 0.44 |
| 5 | Utah | UT | 1.84 | 1.40 | 0.44 |
| 6 | Maryland | MD | 1.84 | 1.72 | 0.12 |
| 7 | South Carolina | SC | 1.72 | 1.32 | 0.40 |
| 8 | Nevada | NV | 1.72 | 1.40 | 0.32 |
| 9 | Oregon | OR | 1.72 | 1.40 | 0.32 |
| 10 | Florida | FL | 1.72 | 1.60 | 0.12 |
| 11 | Delaware | DE | 1.60 | 1.11 | 0.49 |
| 12 | Montana | MT | 1.60 | 1.32 | 0.28 |
| 13 | Rhode Island | RI | 1.60 | 1.32 | 0.28 |
| 14 | Virginia | VA | 1.60 | 1.40 | 0.20 |
| 15 | California | CA | 1.60 | 1.72 | -0.12 |
| 16 | Wyoming | WY | 1.50 | 1.11 | 0.39 |
| 17 | Georgia | GA | 1.50 | 1.24 | 0.26 |
| 18 | Maine | ME | 1.50 | 1.24 | 0.26 |
| 19 | North Carolina | NC | 1.50 | 1.24 | 0.26 |
| 20 | New Mexico | NM | 1.50 | 1.50 | 0.00 |
| 21 | Washington | WA | 1.50 | 1.50 | 0.00 |
| 22 | Mississippi | MS | 1.40 | 1.11 | 0.29 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | NH | 1.40 | 1.24 | 0.16 |
| 24 | New Jersey | NJ | 1.40 | 1.24 | 0.16 |
| 25 | Tennessee | TN | 1.40 | 1.24 | 0.16 |
| 26 | Alaska | AK | 1.40 | 1.32 | 0.08 |
| 27 | Alabama | AL | 1.32 | 1.11 | 0.21 |
| 28 | Louisiana | LA | 1.32 | 1.11 | 0.21 |
| 29 | Oklahoma | OK | 1.32 | 1.11 | 0.21 |
| 30 | Vermont | VT | 1.32 | 1 Comments In Channel   Download from Google Play  Download from App Store  United States00:00 00:00 x   Mapped: Where U.S. Families are Most Strained by DebtPallavi Rao |