Americans feel crushed by debt. 

For Gen Z and younger millennials, the problem starts with low wages compared to high housing costs and a credit regime that makes borrowing more expensive for people without a credit history. Elder millennials and Gen X Americans face mounting family obligations, and retired savers contend with inflation, interest rates and the financial consequences of how much they saved during working years and how soon they retired.

The nation’s household debt stood at $18.8 trillion in the second quarter of 2026, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Credit card balances increased by $21 billion during the quarter to $1.26 trillion, and auto loan balances climbed to $1.71 trillion. Although total household debt declined slightly from the previous quarter, it remained $383 billion higher than a year earlier.

A recent study by Accredited Debt Relief shows that over the past 12 months, 45% of Gen Z saw their debt increase, compared with 39% of millennials, 34% of Gen X and 30% of baby boomers. The study also found that nearly 6 in 10 Gen Z and millennial respondents say they often or always feel stressed when thinking about debt.

Those differences help explain why debt can feel like a systemic problem to one generation and a consequence of changing economic conditions or household obligations to another.

Gen Z and millennials face structural barriers to financial stability

The millennial generation, the cohort born between 1981 and 1996, came of age into 9/11 and the Great Recession. Gen Z, the children of older millennials and Gen X born between 1997 and 2012, not only had to contend with the overhang of asset inflation in housing that developed during the 2010s, but they also entered the job market as COVID-19 was ravaging the economy and generationally high inflation threw up roadblocks to their financial prospects.

The Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit, published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Center for Microeconomic Data shows that Americans in the millennial and Gen Z cohorts have experienced faster increases in serious credit card delinquencies than older consumers. He identified several contributing factors, including unemployment, limited wage growth, housing shortages and higher borrowing costs.

In 2026, the unemployment rate for adults between 20 and 24 years old is 8%, nearly double the national average in an analysis from 2023. Younger consumers also have had less time to accumulate savings, leaving them more exposed to increases in rents, home prices and mortgage costs. And the rise in fuel costs in 2026 has meant wage gains have largely gone to maintain wealth rather than savings, particularly for workers who need a car to get to work.

These headwinds have created a situation where young people are delaying traditional American life milestones like having children and buying a house. For young families, childcare represents an onerous financial burden. High daycare costs and limited availability reduce how much parents can work and restrict household income as expenses grow.

Increasing costs for goods and services have come in tandem with higher borrowing costs since 2022. Though the situation hasn’t been labeled “stagflation” yet by economists, a report from the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research in January says the conditions are ripe for that situation should economic conditions deteriorate further.

For borrowers with shorter credit histories and lower early-career wages, stagflation will accelerate the danger of borrowing to stay afloat. Those with smaller credit limits will use a larger share of their available credit than older borrowers, even when their total balances are smaller, which will reduce their credit utilization ratio and bring down their credit scores in a vicious cycle of debt.

Gen X faces the financial demands of multiple generations

Generation X occupies a different position in the household debt picture.

Many Gen X adults are managing mortgages, supporting children and helping aging parents. Those obligations can overlap during years when workers would otherwise be concentrating on retirement savings.

The financial strain is particularly acute for members of the sandwich generation, adults who provide support to both older and younger family members. A household might be helping a young adult child pay rent while covering healthcare expenses for a parent. When these costs coincide with mortgage payments, insurance premiums and other household bills, there may be little money left to absorb emergencies.

Whereas younger borrowers might struggle with a relatively small credit card balance because of limited income, a Gen X borrower could have greater earnings but substantially higher debts that have accumulated over many years. According to the Wall Street Journal, Gen X not only holds much of the nation’s mortgage debt and the highest average credit card balance of any age cohort, but it also is being strangled by student loan debt — both residual debts from undergraduate and graduate school and parent PLUS loans taken out for their children.

Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation face different debt pressures

Though Americans across generations are carrying more debt than they did 30 years ago, the AARP reports that debt more than quadrupled in households headed by people ages 65 to 74, and it rose by more than seven times for those 75 and older.

Though those debts are smaller in dollar terms than the debts of younger generations, people over 65 may have a harder time managing those debts than debtors who are still in the workforce. Inflation, which was sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical conflicts around the world, erodes purchasing power for people on fixed incomes, which includes Social Security, pensioners and those who depend on investment income in the form of bonds.

What’s more, variable rate debt and higher interest rates in general make refinancing that debt prohibitively expensive. For those over 75, unsecured credit card balances and out-of-pocket medical expenses constitute the majority of active liabilities.

Some older households may be able to use savings or home equity to address financial difficulties before seeking formal debt relief. Others may face significant repayment challenges despite owning assets.

Finding a way out of debt requires more than placing blame

Generational acrimony has sparked debates about who had it worse: Did Boomers pull the ladder to economic security up behind themselves, or are millennials richer now than their parents were at the same age? Are Gen Z uninterested in hard work, or is the deck stacked against them?

Unfortunately, identifying the large structural and historical forces that led you to where you are today is only a preliminary step in getting out from under a debt burden that keeps you from achieving your economic goals and may be hurting your health. The first step in addressing persistent debt is identifying whether the underlying problem involves insufficient income, high interest rates, temporary expenses or borrowing that exceeds a household’s repayment capacity.

For someone carrying expensive credit card balances, lowering interest costs may provide relief. A consolidation loan could make repayment more manageable if it offers a lower rate and affordable terms. However, consolidation may not help when a borrower must continue using credit to purchase groceries, pay rent or cover other recurring expenses.

The next step is reviewing available repayment options before balances become more difficult to manage. Borrowers who are struggling with payments may need to contact creditors and ask about hardship assistance. Nonprofit credit counseling organizations can also help consumers evaluate repayment plans and understand their obligations. Consumers considering debt settlement should review the fees and risks, including the possibility of damaged credit, additional interest charges and collection activity.

Finally, repayment decisions should account for future financial security. Younger borrowers may need to prioritize income stability and emergency savings. Middle-aged households may need to balance support for family members against retirement contributions, while older consumers should consider how debt repayment affects their remaining savings and income.

Because those circumstances vary, borrowers facing significant financial problems may benefit from working with a qualified credit counselor or financial professional.