Nevada has more credit card delinquencies than anywhere in US, report says

Nevada remains one of the most debt-burdened states in the country, according to a new report.

The state has the highest rate of credit card delinquency in the nation at 16.3 percent, according to an analysis from Consumer Affairs that reviewed data from the last three months of 2025.

Nevada also has a high rate of auto loan delinquencies at 6.2 percent (9th overall), and is 19th in student loan delinquencies at 8.4 percent. It ranked 27th for mortgage delinquencies at 0.9 percent. These numbers combined put Nevada at third for overall debt burden out of any state in the country, behind only Utah and Louisiana.

Consumer Affairs lead researcher Rebecca Sowell said their analysis focuses on measuring delinquency rates and overall debt burden across states, rather than identifying the specific causes or individual behaviors driving those delinquencies. As a result, they can’t definitively explain why Nevada’s rate is so high based on this dataset alone, however offered some possibilities.

“That said, broader economic indicators may provide some context,” she said. “Nevada has experienced higher-than-average unemployment in recent years, including 5.3 percent in February of 2026, which can affect residents’ ability to stay current on revolving debt like credit cards. Nevada also ranks above average for overall debt burden and sixth for debt-to-income ratio, both of which are factors commonly associated with higher delinquency rates.”

On average, a Nevada resident has a mortgage debt of $52,540 per capita, auto loan debt of $6,230, credit card debt of $5,060 and student loan debt of $4,480, Consumer Affairs found.

The report noted that not all debt is bad, and Utah does stick out in that regard.

“The Provo and Salt Lake City metro areas have some of the highest shares of young homeowners in the country,” according to the report. “For these Utahns, a higher debt burden may simply be a reflection of taking on the ‘good debt’ of a mortgage earlier in adulthood, before their careers have matured into higher incomes.”

President Donald Trump’s statement earlier this year that he wants credit card interest rates capped at 10 percent drew mixed reactions from economic analysts who say the move might have unintended consequences, but they applauded his push to highlight what is a growing issue across the country.

Affordability and housing costs could be central issues for the 2026 midterm elections. Trump has suggested several policy proposals this year, including banning large institutional investors from the housing market and directing the government to buy $200 billion worth of mortgage bonds with the goal of lowering mortgage rates that have been stubbornly high since the tail end of the pandemic.