3 in 4 Americans Are in Debt, and Most Say It's Held Them Back in Life

73% of Americans in debt consider having debt to be normal, but a third of those with non-mortgage debt (35%) saw their debt levels increase in the past three months.

ST. LOUIS, March 31, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Three-quarters of Americans (76%) carry some form of debt, and 77% of those borrowers say it's held back or harmed their life, according to a new report from Clever Real Estate, a St. Louis-based real estate company.

Over half of those in debt (53%) stress about their finances once a week or more, nearly 20 percentage points higher than those without debt (34%). Even more, 31% feel stressed about their finances every day.

Half of Americans in debt (50%) say their stress about their debt has increased in the past year, and 46% say it's impacted their daily functioning.

A third of those with non-mortgage debt (35%) saw their debt levels increase in the past three months, more than twice the number who reported a decrease (15%).

Nearly 9 in 10 debtors (87%) admit they have regrets about their debt, and over half (55%) worry about their long-term financial future because of their debt.

Although the vast majority (92%) say they're making changes or sacrifices to manage their debt, nearly half (42%) are worried they'll die in debt.

63% of those in debt say the last time they were debt-free, excluding mortgages, was 2020 or earlier, while a third (34%) say it was 10 years ago or longer.

Credit card debt is the most common type of debt, held by 44% of Americans. It's also the most stressful (34%) and the most commonly regretted (58%).

Conversely, mortgages are viewed as the smartest debt to take out (43%), though they still rank as the second most stressful (22%).

Millennials (82%) are the most likely to be in debt, while boomers (67%) have the lowest proportion of debtors.

Almost half of Americans with debt (44%) have missed or delayed a debt payment in the past year, while 39% currently have debt with a collections agency.

Although 47% of debtors feel ashamed about their debt, just under two-thirds (62%) believe it's sometimes necessary to get ahead financially.

However, 55% of those with debt admit they judge others for being in debt. In fact, nearly two-thirds of Americans who have debt (64%), and 71% of those who don't, say they wouldn't marry someone with significant debt.

Read the full report at: https://listwithclever.com/research/debt-stress

About Clever
Clever Real Estate's content reaches over 10 million readers annually, and its nationwide agent matching service has a 5.0-star Trustpilot rating across 4,000+ customer reviews. Since launching in 2017, Clever has reached $15.2 billion in real estate sold, matched 200,000+ customers with realtors, and saved consumers over $220 million on commission fees. Clever's network spans 18,000 agents across all 50 states.

CONTACT: 
Alyssa Evans
Clever Real Estate
[email protected]
315-690-1518

SOURCE Clever Real Estate