May 13, 2020 — Issue Brief

Consumer complaints and share of population with a debt in collection

 In 2019, 68 million Americans had one or more debts in collection on their credit reports. A debt in collection can wreak havoc on consumers, subjecting them to harassing debt collection calls, negative credit reporting, and potential lawsuits. This chart ranks the 50 states and Washington, D.C. based on rate of debt collection complaints and share of the population with debt in collection. It provides a snapshot before the onset of the 2020 economic recession.