超過三分之一的人對按時償還債務存有困難；來自星期二城市研究所對7000000美國人的信用檔案分析研究表明35%的美國人有債務麻煩。

這意味著到目前為止債務超期的帳戶已被關閉并集中放置。這通常發生在賬單超期180天未付。這也意味著債務已經向信用局報告，可以影響到信貸分數。

美國南部為密集度最高地區。在美國的13個州-阿拉巴馬州，阿肯色州，佛羅里達州，喬治亞州，肯塔基，路易斯安那，密西西比州，北卡羅來納州，南卡羅來納州，內華達州，德克薩斯，墨西哥和西弗吉尼亞州和華盛頓哥倫比亞特區，超過了信用檔案的人口40%的人債務問題。受住房危機和經濟衰退打擊最嚴重的內華達州，比率到達最高的46.9%。（更多全球資訊點擊瀏覽）

77000000美國人的平均債務為5200美元。這包括信用卡賬單，孩子的支持，醫療賬單，物業帳單 ，停車票或會員費。

拖欠的家庭比例是“非常令人沮喪的。”經濟政策研究所政策研究主任喬希說畢文斯如是說，數據是自經濟大蕭條來大多數美國人仍在與經濟不穩定抗爭的有力說明。

“這是經濟大蕭條給我們帶來的又一個糟糕的結果，我們現在正努力擺脫這種困境。

“同時對相當一部分有債務問題的人來說，他們沒有意識到這個問題，或這是他們身纏更大的其他信用債務，當提到醫療賬單是，病人通常想到的是醫療保險。”Bankrate網首席財務分析師說到。

他說，對數據來說，“數字不能說明人們應償還債務所占比率。”

這些調查是取自有信用檔案的公民，所以說低收入者不包括在內，還有結付日貸款這類債目也不包含。

當涉及到整體債務水平，大部分來自抵押貸款，平均而言，占到美國人的債務負擔70%。富裕的州往往有最高信用額和債務抵押債券百分比，但研究人員指出，有更高的債務美國人有可能有更高的收入和更易獲得信貸的人。  （更多全球資訊點擊瀏覽） 

夏威夷高居榜首，平均83810美元的債務；80%是在抵押貸款。沿西部和東部沿海各州緊隨其后。這些地區也有最高的住房價格

“抵押債務能夠真實的體現總債務，”卡洛琳城市研究院的高級研究員、該報告作者之一雷克利夫說。雷克利夫把抵押貸款債務歸類為被認為的“生產性債務。”

“我們談論信用和獲取信用是一件好事，但債務是一個糟糕的事情，”她說。“獲得信貸導致生產性債務，這可使我們前進。

”在美國人的信用歷史，平均總負債近54000美元。但是，但是，一旦你有了抵押貸款債務，數量明顯傾斜。美國抵押貸款有209000美元左右平均總負債，相比沒有抵押貸款的約11600美元。百分之二十的美國人沒有信用債務記錄。

邁克布萊德警告說，抵押貸款債務不一定是負面的財務指標。

“一個有400000美元的抵押貸款債務而沒其他債務，要比一個沒有無抵押債務但有有10000美元的負債消費的人有更好的財務形象”他說。

數據顯示在平均抵押貸款債務的情況下，債務比例最高的州上榜人說相對較低的。研究人員發現，抵押貸款債務是集中在高成本，高價格的地區，雷克利夫說。20％抵押貸款最高地區，抵押貸款債務幾乎占數量。 More than a third of the country is in trouble when it comes to paying debts on time; 35% of Americans have debt in collections, according to a study out Tuesday from the Urban Institute, which analyzed the credit files of 7 million Americans.
That means the debt is so far past due that the account has been closed and placed in collections. This typically happens after the bill hasn't been paid for 180 days. It also means the debt has been reported to credit bureaus and can affect someone's credit score.
Southern states especially stand out with the highest concentration of people delinquent. In 13 states — Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Nevada, New Mexico and West Virginia — and Washington, D.C., more than 40% of the population with a credit file has debt in collections. Nevada, one of the states hardest hit by the housing crisis and recession, has the highest share, at 46.9%.
The 77 million Americans with debt in collections owe an average of $5,200. That includes debt from credit card bills, child support, medical bills, utility bills, parking tickets or membership fees.
The share of delinquent households is "pretty disheartening," says Josh Bivens, research and policy director at the Economic Policy Institute. He calls the data a "powerful" reminder of the fact that many Americans are still battling for economic stability since the end of the recession.
"This is yet another really bad legacy of the Great Recession that we're just nowher near climbing all the way out of," he says. （更多全球資訊點擊瀏覽） 
At the same time, a significant number of people with debt in collections aren't aware of the bill and may otherwise have great credit, especially when it comes to medical bills that patients often think were picked up by insurance, says Greg McBride, chief financial analyst for Bankrate.com.
"The numbers don't necessarily speak to the percentage of households that haven't been paying their obligations," he says of the data.
The research only draws on data from Americans with a credit file, so the researchers say lower-income consumers are underrepresented, and alternative forms of debt such as payday loans aren't included.
When it comes to overall debt levels, most comes from mortgages, which make up 70%, on average, of Americans' debt load. Wealthier states tend to have the highest amount of debt and percentage of debt held in mortgages, but the researchers point out that Americans with higher debt may also have higher incomes and better access to credit.
Hawaii tops the list with an average debt of $83,810; 80% of that is held in mortgages. States along the West and East Coasts follow closely behind. Those areas also have the highest housing prices.
。 "Total debt really mimics mortgage debt," says Caroline Ratcliffe, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute and one of the authors of the report. Ratcliffe classifies mortgage debt as what's generally considered "productive debt."
"We talk about credit and access to credit as a good thing, but debt as a bad thing," she says. "Access to credit can result in productive debt that moves us forward."
Among Americans with credit history, the average total debt load is nearly $54,000. But that number is significantly skewed once you factor in debt from mortgages. Americans with a mortgage have an average overall debt of about $209,000 compared with about $11,600 for those without a mortgage. Twenty percent of Americans with a credit report have no debt.
McBride cautions that mortgage debt isn't necessarily a negative financial indicator. （更多全球資訊點擊瀏覽） 
"Somebody with $400,000 in mortgage debt and no other debts could be in much better financial shape than the person with no mortgage debt but $10,000 in consumer debt," he says.
The states with the highest share of people with debt in collections are ranked relatively low when it comes to average mortgage debt, the data show. The researchers found mortgage debt is concentrated in high-cost, high-price areas, Ratcliffe says. The top 20% of areas with the highest mortgage debt account for almost half of all mortgage debt.