---
"title": "IV. Debt Problems"
"description": "About one-in-seven Americans (14%) report that at some point in their lives they experienced debt problems serious enough to have caused them to file for bankruptcy or to use a credit consolidator. Those with annual family incomes of $100,000 or more are less likely than other income groups to have experience with these kinds of […]"
"date": "2007-02-07"
"authors":
  -
    "name": "Pew Research Center"
"url": "https://alpha.pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/social-trends/2007/02/07/iv-debt-problems/"
"categories":
  - "Leisure"
  - "Lifestyle"
  - "Personal Finances"
"datasets":
  -
    "name": "Personal Finance/Social Trust"
    "url": "https://alpha.pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/dataset/personal-financesocial-trust/"
---

# IV. Debt Problems

![Figure](https://alpha.pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/legacy/308-interior.gif){.alignright width=295}

About one-in-seven Americans (14%) report that at some point in their lives they experienced debt problems serious enough to have caused them to file for bankruptcy or to use a credit consolidator.

Those with annual family incomes of $100,000 or more are less likely than other income groups to have experience with these kinds of debt problems.

[People who make payments on their credit card bills](https://alpha.pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/social-trends/2007/02/07/what-americans-pay-for-and-how/310-3/) are more likely to have had a problem with debt than are those who don’t use credits cards and those who pay their credit card bills in full each month.

Similarly, [homeowners who have one or more loans](https://alpha.pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/social-trends/2007/02/07/what-americans-pay-for-and-how/310-3/) (for example, car loans, mortgages and second mortgages) are more likely than homeowners with no loans to have had a problem with debt.

The age group most likely to report having had a problem with debt are those in a broad range of middle years – from ages 30 through 64. Adults both younger and older than that are less than half as likely to report having had a problem with debt.

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**Next:** [V. Bill-Paying Practices](https://alpha.pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/social-trends/2007/02/07/v-bill-paying-practices/markdown)