Household Debt Hits New High: A Cautionary Tale of Consumer Spending The Federal Reserve Bank of New York's latest data paints a worrying picture of household debt in the United States. At $18.
8 trillion, debt levels have reached an all time high in the first quarter of 2026. While credit card balances dropped by $25 billion to $1. 25 trillion, mortgage and auto loan balances continue to rise.
Mortgages alone account for over $13 trillion of this staggering total. Rising costs are putting pressure on American households, particularly at the gas pump. Prices have surged by 3.