(NewsNation) — Mortgages make up the bulk of household debt but a new analysis shows most Americans owe thousands of dollars beyond their home loans, with members of Gen X carrying the highest balances.
Across the 100 largest metros in the U.S., the median non-mortgage debt is $24,668, according to online lending marketplace LendingTree. Gen Xers, between 44 and 59 years old, owed $33,859, the most across the four generations studied.
Millennials weren't far behind, owing $30,558 across non-mortgage loans, including credit cards, auto loans, student loans, and personal loans.
Credit card debt is soaring, especially in these citiesDebt levels also vary widely by region. Consumers in McAllen, Texas, have the highest auto debt across all generations, LendingTree found.
Gen Zers in Northeast cities like Boston and New Haven, Connecticut, had the highest student loan debt, while millennials carried higher student loan balances in southeast cities like Durham, North Carolina, and Atlanta, Georgia.
The analysis is based on more than 428,000 anonymized credit reports from LendingTree users in the nation's 100 largest metro areas. The credit reports are from Oct. 1, 2023, through March 31, 2024.
Median non-mortgage debt balance by generation, according to LendingTree:
Gen Xers (ages 44-59): $33,859 Millennials (ages 28-43): $30,558 Baby Boomers (ages 60-78): $18,779 Gen Zers (ages 18-27):........