Consumers’ credit scores can suffer greatly from being behind on debt payments, and late payments are recorded on credit reports for seven years. According to WalletHub analysts, in order to limit damage to their credit score and prevent potential repercussions such as more late fees, terminated accounts, or litigation, those who are behind on any bill should make every effort to get current as soon as possible.
However, according to recent WalletHub research, catching up on past-due debt payments will be far more difficult for residents of some cities than others. WalletHub examined proprietary user data from Q4 2025 for the 100 largest cities to identify the areas where consumers are most struggling to pay their bills.
“Being delinquent on debt can significantly damage a person’s credit score and make it more difficult to get a credit card, rent apartments, or buy cars and homes in the future,” said Chip Lupo, Analyst at WalletHub. “People who miss a loan payment should try to get current as quickly as possible.”
Top 10 Cities Most Delinquent on Debt Payments:
| Overall Rank | City | Total Score | Percentage of tradelines delinquent in Q4 2025 | Percentage of loan balance delinquent in Q4 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Detroit | 100.00 | 15.68% | 20.23% |
| 2 | Newark, NJ | 91.89 | 15.48% | 17.82% |
| 3 | Greensboro, NC | 80.24 | 15.51% | 13.67% |
| 4 | Baton Rouge, LA | 77.79 | 14.49% | 14.99% |
| 5 | Philadelphia | 75.25 | 14.52% | 14.04% |
| 6 | San Bernardino, CA | 73.20 | 12.81% | 16.98% |
| 7 | Memphis, TN | 72.56 | 14.00% | 14.22% |
| 8 | Laredo, Texas | 72.52 | 12.08% | 18.31% |
| 9 | Baltimore | 71.36 | 14.17% | 13.43% |
| 10 | Toledo, Ohio | 69.14 | 13.42% | 14.27% |
Overview of Most Delinquent U.S. Cities
No. 1: Detroit
An estimated 15.7% of all loans and credit lines in Detroit are past due, making it the most delinquent city. In terms of the quantity of individual tradelines, this is the greatest delinquency rate. In terms of dollar quantities, Detroiters have the highest percentage of delinquency in the nation—20.2% of their total debt. Detroit is ranked number one overall in the study since this analysis considers both metrics (other cities that were higher in one criterion ranked lower in another).
No. 2: Newark, NJ
The second-largest debt delinquency issue is in Newark, New Jersey. In Q4 2025, the city had the third-highest percentage of unpaid loans and credit lines in the nation, at roughly 15.5%. However, simply counting the number of past-due bills does not provide a complete picture. It also matters how much debt is past due. Residents of Newark are actually behind on 17.8% of their total debt when all the monetary amounts are totaled. Newark is ranked second in this analysis because it has the third-highest proportion in the nation.
No. 3: Greensboro, NC
With over 15.5% of loans and credit lines in the city delinquent as of Q4 2025—the second-highest percentage in the nation—Greensboro, North Carolina, has the third-worst debt default problem. Residents of Greensboro, NC, are behind on 13.7% of their total debt. This is the nation’s thirteenth-highest percentage.
“The good news is that for many types of debt, borrowers have at least 30 days before delinquency gets reported to the credit bureaus,” Lupo said. “That allows people a little leeway to get the funds together and avoid credit score damage, though the issuer will still likely charge a late fee.”
Top 10 Cities Least Delinquent on Debt Payments:
| Overall Rank | City | Total Score | Percentage of Tradelines Delinquent in Q4 2025 | Percentage of Loan Balance Delinquent in Q4 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | San Francisco, CA | 5.17 | 8.34% | 2.73% |
| 99 | Scottsdale, AZ | 5.41 | 7.86% | 3.83% |
| 98 | Boston | 6.98 | 8.41% | 3.20% |
| 97 | Fremont, CA | 7.00 | 7.74% | 4.66% |
| 96 | Seattle, WA | 7.29 | 8.46% | 3.20% |
| 95 | St. Louis | 10.18 | 7.49% | 6.29% |
| 94 | San Jose, CA | 12.60 | 8.99% | 3.95% |
| 93 | Honolulu | 13.29 | 8.98% | 4.20% |
| 92 | Madison, WI | 19.13 | 9.86% | 4.36% |
| 91 | San Diego | 20.49 | 9.90% | 4.75% |
| 90 | Austin, Texas | 21.40 | 9.56% | 5.80% |
Note: WalletHub took into account both the percentage of residents’ total loan balances that were past due as well as the percentage of individual tradelines that were past due in this study.
