Debt Counseling Enrollment Hits 10-Year High as 41,000 Consumers Seek Help With Basic Bills
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 7
Debt Counseling Enrollment Hits 10-Year High as 41,000 Consumers Seek Help With Basic Bills
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 7
Summary
Nearly 41,000 clients sought counseling from Money Management International in the first half of 2026, up about 10% from a year earlier, pushing enrollment in its debt-management plans to the highest level in nearly a decade.
Groceries, car repairs and medical bills—not luxury spending—are driving the strain, with counselors saying many households are using credit cards simply to cover basic expenses as incomes fail to keep up.
Consumers in their 30s to mid-40s make up the largest share of clients, carrying about $41,000 in average unsecured debt, mostly credit-card balances.
Young adults in their late teens and 20s are the fastest-growing group, with average unsecured debt of about $20,000—up 12% from 2025—and roughly 40% also carrying student debt averaging $35,000.
GreenPath Financial Wellness reported a separate 20% rise in people seeking help in the first half, reinforcing signs that debt stress is spreading as day-to-day costs climb.