California is home to seven of the country’s 10 cities with the highest average credit card debts, a new study has revealed.
Currently, Americans owe $1.35 trillion in credit card debt, more than $11,000 per household, while balances are expected to jump by another $100 billion through the year, according to a recent WalletHub analysis.
Although debt has climbed across the nation, California seems to stand out from the rest.
The state makes a frequent appearance in the top 10 list of cities with the highest credit card debts per household, according to the study.
Leading the list is Santa Clarita, where the average household in the city owes $23,714 on its credit cards, which adds up to a total of roughly $1.8 billion for all residents.
Santa Clarita, however, also ranked as the city that paid off the most household debt in Q1 2026, according to a previous WalletHub study. This highlights that residents may have high credit card limits and can afford to spend a lot.
Chula Vista ranked second on the list, with an average household credit card debt of $20,778, according to WalletHub.
Like Santa Clarita, Chula Vista is a wealthy city where most residents can manage high expenses.
Chula Vista also paid off the eighth-most household debt during Q1 2026, according to WalletHub’s earlier research.
Ranking fifth in the overall ranking, Rancho Cucamonga has an average household credit card debt of $19,619, which adds up to a total of $1.15 billion for all its residents.
The top 10 American cities with the highest credit card debt include:
- Santa Clarita, CA
- Chula Vista, CA
- Pearl City, HI
- New York, NY
- Rancho Cucamonga, CA
- Gilbert, AZ
- Fontana, CA
- Oxnard, CA
- Moreno Valley, CA
- Santa Ana, CA
High Median Incomes, Debt Payoff Rates
Cities where households owe the highest credit card debt typically have high median incomes, high debt payoff rates, and low delinquency rates, noted WalletHub.
“This indicates that residents may simply have high credit card limits and can afford to borrow more,” said WalletHub analyst John Keirnan.
Carrying high credit card balances can result in high interest rates and may negatively impact credit scores, the study said.
The personal finance website compared 182 of the nation’s largest cities, including 150 of the most populated cities, using the latest consumer finance data from TransUnion and the Federal Reserve to identify where households carry the highest credit card balances, and adjusted them for inflation.
In addition, two of the most populous cities in each state were included in the study. The results were then used to determine the cities’ ranks.
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