The total marked a 5.9% increase from $1.18 trillion during the same period a year earlier. At the same time, 13.12% of credit card balances were at least 90 days delinquent, the highest level in 15 years and the worst reading since the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.

The figures show growing pressure on consumers who continue to face higher prices for basic expenses while paying elevated rates on revolving debt. Average credit card interest rates rose to 21% in February, compared with 14.6% in February 2022, according to Federal Reserve data cited by The Wall Street Journal.

Inflation has remained a major burden for many households. The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation measure, the Personal Consumption Expenditures index, rose to 3.8% in April, keeping pressure on family budgets even as some broader economic indicators have shown signs of stabilization.

President Donald Trump has downplayed concerns about consumer financial stress. Asked earlier this month whether Americans’ financial situation factored into the decision to end the conflict with Iran, Trump said, “Not even a little bit.”

The latest credit data, however, shows that many households are struggling to manage debt while covering necessities.

“When food, housing and healthcare is all more expensive, there is less money to pay off your credit card,” said Breno Braga, an economist at the Urban Institute.

Braga said households under pressure are often forced to prioritize essential bills before unsecured credit debt.

“They don’t want to lose their house or their cars,” Braga said. “They need to pay their utility bills. They’re more likely to stop paying their credit cards first.”

Braga’s research found that 5.6% of credit card holders were at least 60 days behind on payments last year, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. Delinquencies increased across low-, middle- and high-income communities and reached the highest levels recorded since 2018.

The financial strain has driven more consumers to seek help from nonprofit credit counseling organizations. The National Foundation for Credit Counseling reported a 24% increase in clients in January compared with the same month a year earlier. The organization’s average monthly client volume is now 60% higher than it was in 2018.

“Middle-class households in particular are struggling to pay down balances as more families shift to a pattern of survival debt,” Bruce McClary, spokesman for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, told the Journal.

For many families, credit cards have become a way to cover routine expenses rather than discretionary purchases. Melissa Meggison, a medical assistant from South Portland, Maine, said her finances deteriorated after a divorce left her managing expenses on her own.

Meggison previously kept her credit card balances near zero, but she began relying on cards for everyday costs and purchases. Within months, she owed more than $20,000. One card carried a 29% interest rate, and late fees and collection calls followed.

“They don’t let up with the phone calls,” Meggison said. “I think I was being called every hour — at my work, at home. But I just didn’t have the money.”

Facing mounting bills and repeated collection calls, Meggison sold her home and used the proceeds to pay off much of the debt. She has since remarried and reduced about half of her remaining credit card balance, but said financial pressure remains constant.

“I am a little better off, but still living paycheck to paycheck,” Meggison said. “It’s very tempting to open new credit cards to ease that burden. But from my past mistakes, I know it makes things worse in the end.”

Financial counselors say similar cases are becoming more common as borrowers face high interest rates, persistent living costs and limited savings.

Credit reporting agencies estimate that Americans carry an average of roughly $6,500 to $6,700 in credit card debt, while a growing share of borrowers owe more than $10,000.

For many households, the rising debt burden reflects a broader shift from credit card use for optional spending to credit card use as a financial backstop for basic needs.