LendingTree® today released its study on the places where millennials carry the most non-mortgage debt, which consists primarily of student loans, which make up the biggest share of millennial debt, with auto loans are close behind.
The study revealed that the typical urban millennial carries significant debt; the average debt balance for millennials living in the 50 biggest U.S. cities is $23,064.
LendingTree researchers analyzed anonymized credit report data of My LendingTree users who live in the 50 biggest metro areas in the U.S. Looking at debt balances, excluding mortgages, for those born between 1981 and 1996, they determined:
- Where millennials have the biggest non-mortgage median debt obligations
- The average breakdown of debt obligations by five different debt types: student, auto, credit cards, personal loans and other
The results revealed a snapshot of millennials' debt balances, along with the major U.S. cities in which millennials are the most (and least) indebted.
Key findings: Millennials in San Antonio, Pittsburgh, and Austin, Texas, shoulder the largest debt burdens of the 50 biggest metros, with median non-mortgage debts of $27,122, $26,403 and $26,164, respectively.
Three California cities — San Jose, Sacramento and Los Angeles — have the lowest median balances on the list at $18,376, $18,691 and $19,299, respectively.
Student debt makes up the largest share of millennial debt, accounting for 40 percent of their total credit and loan balances. The proportion of student debt was highest in Philadelphia, at 49.1 percent of the average debt burden, and lowest in San Jose at 24.1. This was also the largest debt category for millennials in 35 of the 50 cities reviewed.
Auto loan debt was the biggest debt burden of the other 15 metros and averaged about 33% of millennials' average total debt balances. Auto loans accounted for over 43% of the average debt for millennials in Riverside, Calif., and San Antonio, but just over 22% of New York City millennials' debt.
The U.S. cities where millennials carry the most debt
In the top 10 cities, more than half of millennials have outstanding debts totaling $25,000 or more (not including mortgages), and roughly 1 in 4 millennials living in these cities owes more than $50,000.
Millennials in the South appear to be borrowing more — eight of the top 10 cities are in this region, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. Texas, in particular, dominates the list of indebted millennials. San Antonio, Austin, Houston and Dallasare among the 10 cities where millennials owe the most.
The 10 Places Where Millennials Carry the Most Debt (Excluding Mortgages) | ||
| Rank | Metro | Median Balance |
| 1 | San Antonio | $27,122 |
| 2 | Pittsburgh | $26,403 |
| 3 | Austin, Texas | $26,164 |
| 4 | Houston | $25,978 |
| 5 | Jacksonville, Fla. | $25,947 |
| 6 | Dallas | $25,939 |
| 7 | Washington | $25,810 |
| 8 | Virginia Beach, Va. | $25,591 |
| 9 | Oklahoma City | $25,351 |
| 10 | Columbus, Ohio | $25,129 |
Here are the five cities where millennials are taking on the most non-mortgage debt.
1. San Antonio
Median balance: $27,122
Millennials in this Texas city had the highest levels of debt in the nation, owing $4,058 more than the median debt balance for millennials across all 50 cities surveyed.
San Antonio's millennials also tend to owe the most on their cars, with that accounting for 43.2% of their total debt balances.
2. Pittsburgh
Median balance: $26,403
The millennial cohort in Pittsburgh has a higher portion of student debt, at 45.7%, meaning educational loans account for almost half of what they owe.
3. Austin
Median balance: $26,164
Next is the capital of Texas. Here, young adults have some of the highest amounts of credit card debt, accounting for 18.1% of their total outstanding debts.
4. Houston
Median balance: $25,978
Millennials in Houston, like others in Texas, tend to owe the most on their car loans. In this city, auto loans make up 42.5% of the total balances of millennials' outstanding debts.
5. Jacksonville, Fla.
Median balance: $25,947
The largest debts for Jacksonville millennials are their car loans, which are about on par with student debt. These two types of debt account for 38.5% and 37.1% of the totals millennials owe, respectively.
"The millennial generation makes up the younger portion of adults, and as they build their careers, families and communities, they're doing it encumbered by personal debt," said Kali McFadden, the LendingTree senior research analyst who led the study.
Breakdown of Millennial Debt (Excluding Mortgages) | |||||||
| Metro | Average Balance | Biggest Debt Category | Student Debts | Auto Loans | Credit Cards | Personal Loans | Other Debts |
| San Antonio | $38,336 | Auto | 30.2% | 43.2% | 14.8% | 9.4% | 2.4% |
| Pittsburgh | $38,372 | Student | 45.7% | 28.6% | 15.2% | 9.2% | 1.3% |
| Austin, Texas | $36,454 | Auto | 35.4% | 37.1% | 18.1% | 7.6% | 1.8% |
| Houston | $37,323 | Auto | 29.9% | 42.5% | 16.0% | 9.5% | 2.0% |
| Jacksonville, Fla. | $37,236 | Auto | 37.1% | 38.5% | 15.1% | 7.8% | 1.6% |
| Dallas | $36,775 | Auto | 33.3% | 39.9% | 16.0% | 8.8% | 1.9% |
| Washington | $41,872 | Student | 46.9% | 25.9% | 17.0% | 9.2% | 1.0% |
| Virginia Beach, Va. | $36,323 | Student | 35.4% | 32.1% | 18.9% | 11.9% | 1.8% |
| Oklahoma City | $35,980 | Auto | 37.1% | 39.3% | 13.4% | 8.5% | 1.6% |
| Columbus, Ohio | $37,118 | Student | 48.1% | 29.2% | 14.6% | 7.0% | 1.1% |
| Birmingham, Ala. | $36,776 | Student | 41.9% | 35.0% | 12.0% | 9.5% | 1.5% |
| Phoenix | $36,281 | Auto | 35.0% | 40.2% | 14.8% | 8.1% | 1.9% |
| Buffalo, N.Y. | $36,944 | Student | 46.4% | 29.1% | 15.9% | 7.5% | 1.0% |
| Atlanta | $37,737 | Student | 46.1% | 31.6% | 14.0% | 6.8% | 1.6% |
| Kansas City, Mo. | $35,369 | Student | 41.7% | 34.1% | 15.0% | 7.8% | 1.4% |
| Denver | $35,376 | Student | 40.1% | 31.4% | 18.3% | 9.0% | 1.2% |
| Indianapolis | $36,911 | Student | 44.2% | 31.9% | 14.3% | 8.3% | 1.4% |
| Charlotte, N.C. | $36,626 | Student | 42.4% | 32.7% | 15.1% | 8.4% | 1.4% |
| St. Louis | $34,941 | Student | 42.4% | 33.4% | 15.0% | 8.1% | 1.1% |
| Tampa, Fla. | $36,122 | Student | 40.2% | 35.0% | 16.3% | 7.0% | 1.5% |
| Cincinnati | $33,275 | Student | 40.2% | 35.0% | 14.8% | 8.6% | 1.4% |
| Nashville, Tenn. | $36,478 | Student | 44.4% | 31.1% | 15.0% | 7.3% | 2.3% |
| Hartford, Conn. | $35,110 | Student | 43.7% | 25.5% | 18.1% | 11.5% | 1.2% |
| Milwaukee | $33,817 | Student | 48.1% | 26.9% | 15.9% | 7.4% | 1.8% |
| Las Vegas | $35,045 | Auto | 31.0% | 40.1% | 18.2% | 9.2% | 1.4% |
| Baltimore | $36,417 | Student | 42.0% | 31.6% | 16.5% | 8.6% | 1.3% |
| Boston | $34,626 | Student | 46.3% | 25.6% | 18.6% | 8.7% | 0.9% |
| Philadelphia | $36,773 | Student | 49.1% | 24.8% | 15.8% | 8.9% | 1.4% |
| Minneapolis | $34,490 | Student | 47.5% | 26.8% | 14.9% | 9.6% | 1.2% |
| Chicago | $34,832 | Student | 44.1% | 28.6% | 18.0% | 8.4% | 1.0% |
| Memphis, Tenn. | $35,142 | Student | 45.3% | 32.4% | 12.4% | 7.7% | 2.3% |
| New Orleans | $36,648 | Student | 44.9% | 31.4% | 14.8% | 7.7% | 1.2% |
| Richmond, Va. | $33,666 | Student | 40.3% | 33.8% | 16.4% | 8.4% | 1.0% |
| Raleigh, N.C. | $34,574 | Student | 47.8% | 26.6% | 14.7% | 8.4% | 2.6% |
| Cleveland | $34,082 | Student | 46.5% | 29.1% | 15.8% | 7.5% | 1.2% |
| Orlando, Fla. | $32,084 | Student | 39.2% | 35.6% | 16.4% | 7.2% | 1.5% |
| Riverside, Calif. | $31,423 | Auto | 27.7% | 43.5% | 17.6% | 9.7% | 1.5% |
| Seattle | $31,260 | Auto | 30.8% | 37.4% | 19.5% | 10.7% | 1.7% |
| Portland, Ore. | $30,755 | Student | 40.9% | 33.5% | 17.3% | 7.3% | 1.1% |
| San Francisco | $31,697 | Student | 34.7% | 31.3% | 21.9% | 11.0% | 1.1% |
| San Diego | $31,470 | Auto | 31.2% | 35.9% | 21.6% | 9.8% | 1.5% |
| Miami | $32,910 | Student | 40.7% | 31.4% | 18.6% | 8.0% | 1.4% |
| Louisville, Ky. | $31,939 | Student | 43.9% | 31.5% | 14.4% | 8.5% | 1.8% |
| Providence, R.I. | $30,094 | Student | 38.6% | 30.8% | 18.7% | 11.0% | 0.9% |
| Salt Lake City | $31,174 | Auto | 31.2% | 41.2% | 17.7% | 8.2% | 1.7% |
| Detroit | $33,052 | Student | 48.4% | 25.2% | 16.3% | 8.9% | 1.2% |
| New York | $32,737 | Student | 44.6% | 22.3% | 21.6% | 10.6% | 0.9% |
| Los Angeles | $30,111 | Auto | 33.5% | 33.6% | 21.1% | 10.1% | 1.8% |
| Sacramento, Calif. | $29,160 | Auto | 31.6% | 37.0% | 19.2% | 10.4% | 1.8% |
| San Jose, Calif. | $28,399 | Auto | 24.1% | 37.7% | 26.5% | 10.4% | 1.4% |
| Average | $34,642 | 40.0% | 32.9% | 16.8% | 8.8% | 1.5% |
