Nearly 14 million American households face utility debt so severe that it has been, or soon will be, sent to a collections agency.
The Century Foundation (TCF) and the advocacy group Protect Borrowers analysed individual-level credit records and found that overdue utility balances rose to an average of $789 (£600) and that nearly one in 20 households were in severe arrears as of June 2025. That surge in utility delinquencies sits alongside record-high household liabilities and rising 90-day-plus delinquencies in several consumer credit categories, creating what analysts describe as a widening affordability crisis that intersects with politics and energy policy. The data present a concrete metric of financial strain, and a fresh political challenge for the White House as voters complain about the cost of living.
