By:Marty Schladen-October 7, 2025
A new analysis of Federal Reserve data shows that young adults across the country are carrying dangerous levels of credit card debt, with higher-than-average levels in Ohio.
The news comes as inflation continues to grow, consumer sentiment worsens, and student debt continues to balloon.
Austin-based Upgraded Points studies ways consumers can maximize benefits from their credit card points and miles. But it also conducts other analyses.
For the consumer debt project, it looked at data from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. It identified cardholders aged 18-34 with debt that was more than 90 days delinquent and broke the data down by state and metro area.
“For millions of Americans, credit cards have become a lifeline for groceries, gas, and other essentials amid the aftershocks of historic inflation and the highest (annual percentage rates) in decades,” a statement accompanying the analysis said.
“The strain is hitting young adults hardest: earlier in their careers with thinner savings, facing a tough entry-level job market, and budgeting around the return of student loan payments, a growing share of 18- to 34-year-old cardholders now face serious delinquency.”
In July, the Trump administration paused a program in which 2 million were able to repay student loans at rates based on their income.
There are also concerns that other repayment programs are being phased out and payments will go up.
For Ohio’s young people, the findings of the Upgraded Points analysis weren’t great.
The Buckeye State ranked 16th for severe delinquency, with 17.1% of young people having that status in the first quarter of 2025.
That compares to 12% in 2022.
The average credit card debt among all young Ohioans was $3,352, and 35.5% of them were at or above 75% of their credit limits.
Among large cities, Cleveland came in 10th in the nation, with 18% of its young people seriously delinquent.
Columbus came in 28th (15.3%) and Cincinnati came in 30th (14.7%) out of 55 large cities.
Out of 100 mid-sized metros, Youngstown came in 12th (22.4%), Toledo came in 31st (19.6%), Dayton came in 45th (17.9%), and Akron came in 46th (17.8%).
With spiking utility costs and deep cuts coming to the social safety net, the credit numbers appear to mean more economic stress for the masses in a state where more than 25% are already so poor they qualify for Medicaid.
It makes for a difficult future for young people, the Upgraded Points report said.
“Younger Americans are more likely to overuse their credit cards and rack up lasting debt for several key reasons,” it said. “They are earlier in their careers with less accumulated savings to fall back on, and they face a particularly challenging job market for entry-level workers.”
The fact that federal student loan payments have recently resumed has only compounded these financial challenges, squeezing monthly budgets even tighter, the analysis said.
“As a result, more and more young adults are delinquent on their credit card payments, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, signaling a growing crisis for the nation’s youngest adults.”
