The average debt one person owes equals more than half of the median American household income, NewsNation reports.
People living in the 50 most populous U.S. cities carry an average nonmortgage debt of close to $38,000, according to a LendingTree analysis. This figure excludes home loans but includes car loans, student loans, credit cards and personal loans. Meanwhile, the median household income hovers around $75,000.
Auto loan amounts outpace student loan amounts, making it the largest nonmortgage debt in over half of the metro cities analyzed, according to LendingTree, which reviewed anonymized credit reports of about 210,000 users from April 1 through June 30.
Austin, Texas, is the most debt-ridden metro, with a per-resident average of close to $46,000. Car loans comprise a majority of people’s debt here.
The second- and third-most debt-ridden cities are also in the Lone Star State: San Antonio (average of $44,812) and Houston (average of $44,640).
“All the biggest cities in Texas generally require cars to get around,” said Matt Schulz, LendingTree’s chief credit analyst, in the study. “Plus, cliche though it may be, Texans love their trucks … and those don’t come cheap.”
Riverside, California, landed 9th on the list with an average nonmortgage debt of $41,752.
Cities with the most nonmortgage debt
| Rank | City | Average nonmortgage debt |
| 1 | Austin, Texas | $45,920 |
| 2 | San Antonio, Texas | $44,812 |
| 3 | Houston, Texas | $44,640 |
| 4 | Miami, Florida | $44,230 |
| 5 | Atlanta, Georgia | $44,059 |
| 6 | Dallas, Texas | $43,901 |
| 7 | Orlando, Florida | $43,888 |
| 8 | Washington, DC | $42,039 |
| 9 | Riverside, California | $41,752 |
| 10 | Tampa, Florida | $41,439 |
Cities with the least nonmortgage debt
Although California is typically a more expensive state to live in, the least debt-ridden city is located in the Golden State.
San Jose, California, residents owe an average of $26,700 in nonmortgage debt. They also have the lowest average student loan debt at $5,000.
Runner-ups for the lowest average debt are Louisville, Kentucky, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Residents of San Francisco also carry lower average debt, around $32,200, making the Bay Area city 47th out of 50.
| Rank | City | Average nonmortgage debt |
| 50 | San Jose, California | $26,704 |
| 49 | Louisville, Kentucky | $31,456 |
| 48 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | $31,700 |
| 47 | San Francisco, California | $32,201 |
| 46 | Seattle, Washington | $32,453 |
| 45 | Providence, Rhode Island | $34,064 |
| 44 | Kansas City, Missouri | $34,173 |
| 43 | Detroit, Michigan | $34,366 |
| 42 | New York, New York | $34,459 |
| 41 | Salt Lake City, Utah | $34,526 |