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Research and Statistics

Millennials most likely to carry card balances, survey says

Sabrina Karl

by Sabrina Karl

May 4, 2018

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Summary

A generational survey of credit card debt finds that grandma probably doesn’t carry a balance, but Junior does.

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The older you are, the more likely you are to fully pay that credit card bill, according to new data from Aite Group.

The online survey of more than 1,600 credit card holders found that about 6 in 10 millennials – ages 19-36 in this study – revolve their debt by paying less than their total credit card balances each month.

But in moving up the generational ladder, the percent drops to 54 percent of Generation X who carry a balance, and then 41 percent for baby boomers. By the time you get to the senior generation, less than a quarter (24 percent) are leaving card debt unpaid at the end of the month.

The research and advisory company Aite Group conducted its online survey of 1,669 credit card holders in January 2018. After weighting the results to mirror U.S. population demographics, Aite released its findings April 19, 2018.

Millennials most likely to carry credit card balances

See related: Percentage of credit card “revolvers” ticking back up, More infographics

<center><a href=”https://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/millennials-card-balance/”><img alt=”Millennials most likely to carry card balances, survey finds” border=”0″ src=”https://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/images/infographic-millennials-card-balance.png” /></a> </center>

 

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Sabrina Karl loves telling – and especially showing – stories that are conveyed with numbers. Whether it’s data on the nation’s credit card debt or the financial struggles faced by seniors, millennials, or anyone in between, Karl combines an analytical mindset with serious Excel chops and a dash of graphic design to create infographic stories for CreditCards.com, and previously for Bankrate.com, Interest.com and DepositAccounts.com.

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