Mapped: States Where U.S. Families are Most Strained by Debt

Visual Capitalist ^ | 11/01/2025 | Pallavi Rao

[SeekAndFind]

Americans are always worrying about debt: their own and their government’s.

This visualization, via Visual Capitalist's Pallavi Rao, 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.

ℹ️ 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	1.24	0.08
31	Arkansas	AR	1.24	1.11	0.13
32	Indiana	IN	1.24	1.11	0.13
33	Iowa	IA	1.24	1.11	0.13
34	Kentucky	KY	1.24	1.11	0.13
35	Massachusetts	MA	1.24	1.11	0.13
36	Michigan	MI	1.24	1.11	0.13
37	Minnesota	MN	1.24	1.11	0.13
38	Missouri	MO	1.24	1.11	0.13
39	Nebraska	NE	1.24	1.11	0.13
40	South Dakota	SD	1.24	1.11	0.13
41	Texas	TX	1.24	1.11	0.13
42	West Virginia	WV	1.24	1.11	0.13
43	Wisconsin	WI	1.24	1.11	0.13
44	Connecticut	CT	1.11	1.11	0.00
45	District of Columbia	DC	1.11	1.11	0.00
46	Illinois	IL	1.11	1.11	0.00
47	Kansas	KS	1.11	1.11	0.00
48	New York	NY	1.11	1.11	0.00
49	North Dakota	ND	1.11	1.11	0.00
50	Ohio	OH	1.11	1.11	0.00
51	Pennsylvania	PA	1.11	1.11	0.00

In Hawaii’s case, elevated housing costs push mortgage balances sky-high. In Idaho, a surge of migrants since 2020 has driven up home prices and left many newcomers with large, fresh mortgages.

Rounding out the top five are Arizona, Colorado, and Utah (all 1.84). Once again, fast-growing markets where rising prices and younger populations translate into higher leverage.

ℹ️ Related: Hawaii has the fifth-lowest homeownership rate in the country.

States With the Lowest Household Debt

At the other end of the spectrum, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and North Dakota come in at just 1.11.

Many low-debt states share three traits. They have lower housing costs, older homeowner bases with significant equity, and slower population growth that tempers new borrowing.

However, even high-income states like Connecticut and the District of Columbia can land in this cohort thanks to well-paid residents who keep balances in check.

The gap underscores how regional housing dynamics, more than incomes alone, dictate household debt.

Finally, due to how this ratio is calculated, younger households’ true burden may be understated (student loan exclusion).

At the same time, the income measure is unemployment insurance-covered wages wages (not total personal income), which can overstate the ratio in high-capital-income areas (e.g., states with finance-heavy metros).

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Visualizing Government Debt-to-GDP Around the World on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

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TOPICS: Business/Economy; Society
KEYWORDS: debt; economy

[blackdog]

It's still burning our food. I loved those school classes that breaks down all the products and byproducts out of a bushel of wheat, corn, soy beans, rape seed, sunflower seed, etc....I remember one on corn that listed 162 products being made by that bushel of corn. Did you know the stealth skins and paints on stealth aircraft come from cotton seed cellulose??!! The glass on the face of your smart phone, same thing. Cotton seed fuzz Cellulose is what makes the specialty glass. Cotton seed produces soooo many things. I really think they would rather just throw away the cotton bolls and keep just the seed. One day they may just GMO Cotton into a plant that only produces seeds and no cotton fibers. The world has like a 100 year supply of cotton in warehouses around the world. Same with sheep and wool. If someone could raise sheep designed to just shed their wool coats after getting a shot or vaccine, farmers would switch to all those sheep! Getting that damned wool off represents about $50 per head. If you don't shear your lambs you will pay a fine at auction. Usually about fifty cents a pound. The slaughter houses don't want to have to fill up their dumpsters with wool, which if touches the meat, spoils the meat with an awful soap taste that doesn't wash away.

There is like a 100 year supply of sheep's wool in warehouses around the world. It worse than useless, it's a cost driver in the wrong direction.

[Nervous Tick]

>> The largest producer of ethanol in the USA which they use to poison gasoline into an inferior product.

Heh... I always suspected that. But the Erf has a fever and poisoned gasoline is a vital part of the cure. Or something.

[Nervous Tick]

>> If someone could raise sheep designed to just shed their wool coats

Someone does! They’re called “hair sheep”.

[Nervous Tick]

>> This is on a corrupt congress

Corn state senators would commit seppuku before they would vote to repeal ethanol requirements. Ernst and Grassley, lookin’ at YOU...

[Nervous Tick]

>> Put your money in to support alcohol-free gas in the US.

Our Wally World has it at the pump. It’s all I buy for our small engines. Pricey, but easy on the engine (and the oil & gas industry).

[cpdiii]

I run all my small engines on alcohol free gasoline. It cost more but is much cheaper than throwing away my chain saw etc. My 4 cycle lawn mower works just fine with the alcohol 10% as does my car. Two cycle engines do not like it. It kills them.

[Bigg Red]

mark

[MCF]

I don't put a whole lot of stock in to their findings. Take AZ & FL, both have large number of retirees with higher end homes and vehicles and just modest incomes. Their wealth is in investments which is not calculated in.

[blackdog]

Hair sheep are only adapted to tropical and sub Sahara kinda places. They would die out on range in cold climates.

[CommieCutter]

How is Illinois that low? Rural areas?

[Zathras]

That is also how I read AZ.
We also have many home owners who own two homes.
Renters pay the mortgage on one.

[Dr. Sivana]

How is Illinois that low? Rural areas?

Places like Rockford have affordable, decent housing, in large part because of the exorbitant property taxes. I think it helps to be close to a lot of thge food processing. Grocery prices are better than CT, GA, and AZ.

[fwdude]

I was considering a move to Idaho (Moscow area) and found the housing prices through the roof in a small college town, and for substandard, ugly homes. I’m in Texas, and could have almost twice the home here for the prices they charge in ID. And more property too.

[Nervous Tick]

Hair sheep do well in Texas.

[Organic Panic]

When I was there it were californicators snatching up every scrap of land. Biden also dumped off bus loads of illegals and spread them around under cover of darkness,
Looks like the highest debts are where the Californicators went. Probably by driving up the cost to the locals.

[blackdog]

And Arizona-New Mexico