Paying off credit card debt in these states will take the longest, study finds

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FILE-A person holds their credit cards before purchasing an item. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Consumers are racking up credit card debt at staggering rates nationwide, and despite every person’s debt being different, paying it off can feel like an insurmountable hurdle.

WalletHub released a new study examining states with sustainable and unsustainable credit card debts which can be paid off in a timely manner. 

RELATED: These cities have the highest and lowest credit card debts in 2025

The personal finance website used data from TransUnion to calculate the cost and time required to pay off the median credit card balances of each of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. 

Top states where it will take the longest to pay off credit card debt

Why you should care:

WalletHub’s rankings for the states involve researchers using the median credit card balance and monthly credit card payments of residents in each state. The team determined the required number of months to pay off that balance along with finance charges. 

1. Alaska
2. Washington, D.C.
3. Vermont
4. Colorado
5. New Hampshire
6. Connecticut
7. Oregon
8. Wyoming
9. Washington
10. New Mexico
11. Georgia
12. Massachusetts
13. South Carolina
14. Montana
15. Texas
16. Virginia
17. Arizona
18. Maryland
19. Minnesota
20. Maine

A closer look at the top states with credit card debt

Dig deeper:

Alaska, Washington, D.C. and Vermont were the highest-ranking areas where it will take a longer period to pay off credit card debt and here’s a breakdown of WalletHub’s findings. 

Alaska

Alaska has the highest credit card debt, with the median amount per person reaching $3,683. According to WalletHub, residents’ debt is spread across an average of nearly 3 credit cards per person.

On average, residents in the state pay $259 toward their credit card bill monthly, and the study noted that it would take over 16 months to pay off their entire debt, and they would pay $553 in interest.

Washington, D.C. 

Washington, D.C. ranks second on the list of the worst credit card debt problems in the U.S., with the median debt climbing to $3,502 across an average of three credit cards per person.

Residents in the area make smaller credit card payments monthly, despite having a much higher median income. According to WalletHub, the average D.C. resident pays $253 monthly on their credit card debt, meaning it would take an average of close to 16 months to pay off their debt, and they would accrue $508 in interest during that period.

Vermont

Vermont has a median credit card debt reaching $2,627, and it’s spread across an average of 2.8 cards per person.

Although Vermont residents only have the 34th-highest median credit card debt in the U.S., WalletHub determined that residents make very low monthly payments, on average at $209 monthly, resulting in residents having the third-longest debt payoff timeline in the U.S., at 14.2 months, while accruing 16th-most interest, at $344.