Debt – Any Debt in Collections

Methodology

This indicator reports information derived from a 2 percent nationally representative panel of deidentified, consumer-level records from a major credit bureau. The credit bureau data are from February 2022 and contain more than 5 million records. The data also incorporate estimates from summary tables of the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS). ACS one-year estimates (2019) is used where possible, but for areas with smaller populations and for metrics that incorporate zip code–level information, the ACS five-year estimates (2015–19). People of color are defined as those who are African American, Hispanic, Asian or Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaska Native, another race other than white, or multiracial.

Debt in collections includes past-due credit lines that have been closed and charged-off on the creditor’s books as well as unpaid bills reported to the credit bureaus that the creditor is attempting to collect. For example, credit card accounts enter collections once they are 180 days past due. Retail installment loans are retail purchases with installment terms—for example, a loan from a furniture store to buy a couch. Data are reported at the national, state, and county levels for the 50 states and Washington, DC. For more information, please see the technical appendix.

Note:
Credit bureau metrics are not reported when they are based on fewer than 50 people.