Americans are carrying a lot of credit card debt, with the Mountain West in the middle of the pack

The average American household is carrying a credit card debt of about $10,000, according to WalletHub, which conducted a survey among 180 cities.

In our region, Nevada cities such as Henderson ($17,013) and Las Vegas ($15,515) ranked in the top 40, with average household credit card debts of about $16,000. Two New Mexico cities — Albuquerque and Las Cruces — are toward the bottom of the list.

Here is where other Mountain West cities rank in WalletHub’s list.

WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe said there are two driving factors in many households having more credit card debt.

“We have these people who are just turning to their credit cards for day-to-day expenses and those are taking advantage of these credit cards to live a little bit beyond their means,” said Happe.

Happe said some people holding large debts were prompted to “experience life” after the pandemic. Others are just trying to keep up with the rising costs of basic items.

“They may have turned to their credit cards to buy groceries or purchase gas,” she said. “And if things didn't shake out right with their budget that could have been an expense that stayed on their credit card because they had to use their paycheck to pay for other things that came up.”

Happe said with credit card interest rates now ranging between 26% and 32%, it's critical to cut down on credit card use and pay more than the minimum.

This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio (KNPR) in Las Vegas, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.