How Many Credit Cards Does The Average American Have? By Age Group And Income

Ask ten people how many credit cards the average American has, and you might hear ten different answers. Some will say three. Others will swear it is closer to seven. Both can be right, depending on what “have” actually means.

Credit card ownership in the U.S. is not a single clean number. It is a mix of open accounts, cards people actively use, and cards that quietly sit in a drawer because closing them no longer feels urgent. Add age, income, and life stage into the picture, and the story gets more layered.

Here’s a clear, data-driven look at how many credit cards Americans really have, how that changes by age and income, and why the gap between “open” and “active” cards matters more than most people realize.

Key Highlights

• The average American has about 7.1 open credit cards, but only 3.7 are actively used.
• Credit card ownership and active card count generally rise with age, peaking in middle age.
• Higher income increases access to credit cards, though middle-income households are most likely to carry balances.
• Managing a small number of active cards matters more for financial health than the total number of cards on file.

What “Average Number Of Credit Cards” Really Means

 

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The phrase “average number of credit cards” sounds straightforward, but it hides an important distinction that shapes every statistic you see.

Some sources count open credit card accounts, meaning every card that exists on a person’s credit file, even if it has not been used in years. Other sources focus on active credit cards, usually defined as cards used recently or carrying a balance.

Those two numbers can be very different, and modern credit behavior explains why.

Open Cards Versus Active Cards

Here are the definitions that matter when reading any credit card statistic:

• Open cards (total cards): All credit card accounts listed on a credit report, whether they are used regularly or not.
• Active cards: Accounts used recently or carrying a balance, depending on the reporting standard. Experian uses a 6-month activity window in its reporting.

When someone quotes how many cards the average American has, they might be referencing either metric. That explains why different numbers circulate at the same time without actually contradicting each other.

The Headline Averages And Why You See More Than One

Two widely cited, high-authority summaries set the baseline for 2025.

• According to Bankrate statistics, the average American has about 7.1 credit cards when counting open accounts.
• Only 7 of those cards are active.

Experian defines an active card as one used or carrying a balance within the past 6 months. According to its reporting, the average number of active credit cards per consumer in 2025 is 3.7, down from 4.1 roughly 10 years earlier.

That gap between 7.1 and 3.7 is not an accounting quirk. It reflects how people actually use credit cards today. Accounts accumulate over time, while day-to-day spending narrows to a smaller group of favorites.

Why Americans Accumulate Cards They Do Not Actively Use

A credit file grows slowly and rarely shrinks on its own. Once a card is opened, there is often little incentive to close it, especially if it has no annual fee.

Common reasons unused cards stay open include:

• Preserving account age, which supports credit history length
• Avoiding a temporary utilization spike from closing a credit line
• Keeping a backup card for emergencies
• Forgetting about a retail or promo card opened years earlier

Many consumers keep older accounts open while shifting everyday spending to newer financial tools offered by platforms like SoFi online Bank, which bundle checking, savings, and card management in one place.

Over a decade or two, even cautious cardholders can end up with several open accounts that no longer play a role in everyday spending.

Average Number Of Credit Cards By Age Group

You will find more infographics at Statista

Age offers one of the clearest lenses for understanding how credit card ownership changes.

Public reporting is most consistent when looking at active credit cards by generation, which avoids inflating counts with dormant accounts.

Experian reports the following average number of active credit cards by generation, using June 2025 data and ages as of 2025.

Average Active Credit Cards By Age

What The Age Curve Is Really Showing

The steady climb from early adulthood into middle age, followed by a modest drop later in life, follows predictable patterns.

Time In The Credit System

Older consumers have simply had more years to open cards. Early starter cards, travel cards, store cards, and upgraded products all add up. Even if spending stays focused on a few accounts, the older ones often remain open.

Household Spending Complexity

Spending patterns grow more layered with age. Mortgage payments, family expenses, travel, healthcare, vehicles, and sometimes small business or side income all benefit from separation across cards.

Many households use different cards for groceries, travel rewards, rotating categories, and large recurring expenses.

Utilization Management

Some consumers intentionally maintain multiple open credit lines to keep utilization low. A larger total credit limit can make normal spending look smaller on paper, which helps credit profiles when balances are paid responsibly.

Simplification Later In Life

The drop for adults 80 and older likely reflects less appetite for juggling accounts, lower overall spending, and a preference for simplicity. In some cases, health and mobility also shape financial habits.

How Income Changes Credit Card Ownership

Income plays a powerful role in credit card access, though public data is clearer about who has cards than how many cards people hold in each income bracket.

Still, combining high-quality sources paints a realistic picture.

Credit Card Access Rises With Income

Bankrate’s 2025 credit card debt reporting shows a strong income gradient when looking at households with at least one credit card.

Share Of Households With At Least One Credit Card

That gap reflects differences in credit approval, income stability, credit scores, and access to mainstream banking.

Lower-income households face more friction, from thinner credit files to stricter underwriting standards.

Where Credit Card Debt Concentrates By Income

Ownership alone does not tell the full story. Debt patterns reveal more about how cards function in daily life.

Using data from the 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances, analyzed by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, several important patterns emerge.

• 46% of U.S. households had credit card debt in 2022, meaning they carried a balance rather than paying in full.
• Households in the 5th, 6th, and 7th income deciles were most likely to hold credit card debt.
• 61% of households in the 7th decile carried credit card debt.
• Only 28% of households in the 1st decile and 26% in the 10th decile carried credit card debt.

Middle-income households often combine strong access to credit with tighter cash buffers than the highest earners. Credit cards become a tool for smoothing expenses, which can slide into revolving balances.

The Heaviest Burden Falls On The Lowest Incomes

While high-income households carry debt less often, lower-income households face a harsher reality when balances appear.

The same SCF-based analysis reports that in the lowest income decile, credit card balances equaled about 85% of monthly income.

At that level, even modest interest charges can trap households in long payoff cycles, especially with high APRs.

Interpreting “Average Cards By Income” Responsibly

Public reporting does not offer a single clean table showing the average number of cards per income bracket.

Still, a responsible interpretation emerges by aligning access, debt patterns, and lived financial behavior.

Lower Income Households (Under $50,000)

Common patterns include:

• Lower likelihood of having a card at all, with only 61% holding at least one
• Fewer total accounts among cardholders due to approval barriers
• Higher debt burden relative to income when balances exist

On the ground, cardholders often have 1 to 2 general-purpose cards, sometimes paired with a retail or secured card.

Middle Income Households ($50,000 to $99,999)

Common patterns include:

• High access to credit, with 83% to 88% holding at least one card
• Multiple cards used for rewards, household spending, and flexibility
• Highest likelihood of carrying balances, according to SCF data

Many households in this range accumulate several open accounts over time, while actively using a smaller subset.

Higher Income Households ($100,000+)

Common patterns include:

• Very high access, with 90% holding at least one card
• Cards opened strategically for travel rewards, premium perks, or expense separation
• Lower likelihood of carrying revolving balances compared with middle-income households

Total open accounts may be high, though active balances tend to be managed more aggressively.

How Many Credit Card Accounts Exist In The U.S.

According to a January 2026 Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis economics explainer citing the Federal Reserve Bank of New York consumer credit panel:

• 636 million open credit card accounts existed as of Q2 2025
• 642 million open credit card accounts existed by the end of Q3 2025

That sheer volume explains why average open-card counts remain high, even as consumers concentrate spending on fewer cards.

The Debt Backdrop Matters

Even a discussion focused on card count needs debt context.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York reports that:

• Credit card balances rose by $27 billion in Q2 2025
• Total outstanding credit card debt reached $1.21 trillion

The St. Louis Fed analysis adds a household-level view:

• The average household carrying credit card debt held a balance of about $6,065

Rising interest rates amplify the cost of carrying balances, making management more critical as card counts rise.

Why Open Cards Outnumber Active Cards

The gap between 7.1 open cards and 3.7 active cards reflects common consumer behavior.

Typical drivers include:

• Rewards chasing, where a card is opened for a bonus and later sidelined
• Balance transfer strategies that leave dormant cards after payoff
• Retail checkout offers that lose relevance after the discount
• Life changes that reshape spending patterns
• Intentional account aging to preserve credit history

Over time, the credit file becomes a record of past decisions, not just current habits.

How Many Credit Cards Is Too Many

There is no universal cutoff. Experian emphasizes that the number of accounts alone does not drive credit scores. Payment history, utilization, and account age matter far more.

In real life, “too many” usually shows up through behavior:

• Missed payments from juggling due dates
• High utilization across multiple cards
• Adding new cards while carrying balances
• Annual fees that outweigh benefits

A practical rule aligns active cards with flawless management. Many households function best with a small, well-chosen set, even if total open accounts remain higher.

Summary Tables For Quick Reference

The tables below pull the key numbers into one place, making it easier to compare credit card ownership patterns at a glance without wading back through the details.

Average Credit Cards Americans Have

Compiled from Bankrate’s statistics citing Experian.

Active Cards By Age Group

Experian, June 2025 data.

Credit Card Access By Income

Bankrate, 2025 reporting.

The Bottom Line

The average American does not carry a tidy number of credit cards. Most people hold more accounts than they actively use, and that gap grows with age and income.

A clearer way to think about credit cards focuses less on how many exist and more on how many are actively managed, paid on time, and aligned with real spending needs. For most households, control matters more than count.