Credit card debt in the United States climbed to $1.26 trillion in the second quarter of 2026, bringing balances close to a record high as millions of households continue to rely on borrowing to manage stubbornly high living costs.
Credit card balances increased by $21 billion during the quarter, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's latest Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit released Tuesday. The total is now approaching the record $1.28 trillion reached last year.