Mucahithan Avcioglu
10 November 2026•Update: 10 November 2026
US household debt rose 1.8% to $19.1 trillion in the third quarter of 2026, according to data released on Tuesday by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Total household borrowing increased by $334 billion from the previous quarter and $520 billion from a year earlier, the bank's Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit showed.
Mortgage balances, the largest component of household debt, climbed $257 billion during the quarter to $13.37 trillion, marking an annual increase of $302 billion.
Auto loan balances rose $21 billion to $1.73 trillion, while student loan debt increased $5 billion to $1.66 trillion.
Credit card balances grew $22 billion to $1.29 trillion, up $52 billion from a year earlier.
Home equity lines of credit increased $23 billion to $481 billion, marking their largest quarterly rise since 2005.
Meanwhile, the share of outstanding household debt in some stage of delinquency rose 0.3 percentage points from the previous quarter to 5%.
The New York Fed said transitions into early delinquency increased slightly for auto loans and mortgages but improved for credit cards.
Transitions into serious delinquency also improved slightly for credit cards and student loans.
Mortgage transitions into serious delinquency worsened but remained low by historical standards, the report showed.
