Americans’ monthly debt payments surge since the pandemic
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The average amount Americans shell out just to cover their debt payments has surged by $350 per month over a handful of years, with high prices, swelling balances and sky-high interest payments all contributing to the jump.
A new report by LendingTree found consumers pay an average of $1,583 to service their debts each month, up from $1,233 when they studied the data in 2020.
Homes in Rocklin, California, on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022. Home prices have surged since the pandemic hit in 2020. (Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Unsurprisingly, home mortgages make up the greatest amount of debt, with homeowners paying $1,855 a month on average. The average monthly car payment is $690, the analysis found, and personal loans are the third-highest monthly payment, averaging $517.
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Student loan borrowers have an average payment of $307, and credit card holders’ minimum payments average $272.
LendingTree acknowledged the average amount most Americans actually pay is probably even higher than their study found, because the vast majority of credit card holders pay more than the minimum payment. (Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Matt Schulz, LendingTree’s chief credit analyst, told FOX Business that the true amount consumers are paying each month to stay on top of their debt is actually probably higher than the study’s numbers show.
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“These numbers are really high, but for many Americans, the reality is likely even worse,” he said. “That’s because when it comes to credit cards, the calculations in our report only include minimum payments. The vast majority of credit cardholders pay well more than the minimum each month, so it’s likely that most Americans are paying significantly more than what we list in the report.”
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Schulz pointed to a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau report from last year showing that just 13% of general purpose and 17% of private label account holders pay only the minimum payment due each month.
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