Key Takeaways
- Average credit card debt is highest among Generation X, according to the latest data from credit bureau Experian.
- Gen X is currently part of the so-called sandwich generation, as many are helping financially support both aging parents and children growing into adulthood.
- Credit card debt rose across every age group, and other recent surveys reveal that Americans are increasingly worried about their own levels of debt.
Credit card debt is an increasing concern for millions of Americans, but which age group has the most credit card debt, and are you a part of it?
According to data released last month by credit bureau Experian, Generation X—widely referred to as Gen X—has the highest average credit card debt at $9,600, nearly $3,000 higher than the next closest groups: Millennials at $6,961 and Baby Boomers at $6,795. Generation Z (often called Gen Z) and the Silent Generation round out the list with the lowest amount of debt, each just under $3,500 on average.
Why Gen X Leads The Way
Gen X is traditionally defined as those born between 1965 through 1980, meaning they are now 45 to 60 years old. Data from earlier this year showed that Gen X accounts for just over a quarter of the country’s wealth, compared to 51% among Baby Boomers, as younger generations continue to wait for the “Great Wealth Transfer” that will take place as Boomers and the Silent Generation pass down their assets.
Why This Matters
Credit card debt is high-interest debt, which means the amount one owes can get out of hand quickly as interest compounds. It gets harder to catch up with payments of multiple credit cards with high balances. Lastly, missed payments can also affect the borrower’s credit score, making it harder to secure future loans.
But Gen X is currently in a financial predicament as part of the “sandwich generation,” along with some older Millennials. Many of them are now at an age where they are providing financial assistance to both their aging parents and their own children, who may not have achieved full financial independence despite having reached adulthood.
As the Experian data shows, those extra expenses are likely causing some Gen Xers to stretch their budgets. A lot of that spending is done by credit card. One repercussion of those widening financial obligations: they complicate the retirement picture for Gen X adults. Some surveys reveal that a quarter of Americans in that age group have pulled back on saving for retirement because of their needs.
Credit Card Debt is Getting Bigger and Making Americans More Stressed
The U.S. average credit card debt as of June 2025 was $6,735, per Experian. That was up a little more than half of 1% from the same time a year ago, when the average was $6,699. The credit bureau attributed part of that rise to the average credit card interest rate, which has jumped in recent years and may remain elevated even as the Federal Reserve starts to cut its own interest rates.
That means existing credit card balances are harder to pay down once they start to grow, and the rising cost of living is forcing more Americans to put a wider range of expenses on credit cards.
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Growing credit card debt is also taking a toll on millions of Americans. In a pair of recent surveys, about a quarter of Americans said they regret overspending on credit cards, and more than 40% said their current level of credit card debt worries them. Experts recommend using credit cards only for purchases that you know you can pay off, and paying off the balance as often as possible.
If you find yourself in too much debt, two popular remedies are the snowball strategy and the avalanche solution. The snowball gambit involves paying off the smallest debt first because that’s—in theory at least—the easiest. Then you tackle successively larger balances. The avalanche method focuses on minimizing interest accrual by paying off the card balance with the highest interest rate.
The Bottom Line
Recent data from credit bureau Experian reveals that Generation X has the highest average credit card debt among the age groups of U.S. adults. Many in the group are burdened by the responsibility of helping both parents and growing children with their finances, with a growing number of Gen Xers saying they are saving for retirement at a slower pace. Credit card debt rose across generations in the Experian data, and other recent surveys have shown that Americans are increasingly worried about their credit card debt.
