Top 20 cities where millennials have highest auto balance
LendingTree recently reported that millennials owe a median of $15,281 in auto debt across the 100 largest metros in the U.S.
Researchers used an anonymized sample of credit reports from the first and second quarters of this from more than 200,000 millennial LendingTree users to calculate their total auto debt obligations.
LendingTree auto finance expert Jenn Jones said millennial auto debt may be this high because they’re also saddled with other forms of debt.
“In 2022, millennials were the largest group of homebuyers, accounting for 43% of U.S. home sales,” Jones said while citing data from the National Association of Realtors. “With housing prices being sky high, interest rates rising and car prices pretty much maintaining astronomical orbit, I’m not surprised that millennials have such auto debt. Under these pressures, millennials are likely taking longer to pay off their auto loans and putting less down at the start.”
In its report, LendingTree highlighted the top 20 places where millennials still owe the most on their vehicles. Here is the rundown:
Rank | Metro | Median auto balance | Average auto balance | % of millennials with a current balance |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | McAllen, TX | $21,446 | $29,671 | 48.9% |
2 | El Paso, TX | $19,158 | $24,983 | 46.4% |
3 | Knoxville, TN | $17,991 | $22,848 | 48.2% |
4 | Riverside, CA | $17,855 | $23,475 | 45.4% |
5 | San Antonio, TX | $17,662 | $24,193 | 45.1% |
6 | New Orleans, LA | $17,424 | $21,757 | 52.3% |
7 | Ogden, UT | $17,288 | $21,481 | 35.8% |
8 | Provo, UT | $17,211 | $24,710 | 31.5% |
9 | Dallas, TX | $17,063 | $23,025 | 42.6% |
10 | Houston, TX | $17,036 | $23,046 | 44.3% |
11 | Little Rock, AR | $16,856 | $21,570 | 50.6% |
12 | Phoenix, AZ | $16,851 | $22,900 | 41.7% |
13 | Tampa, FL | $16,825 | $21,747 | 44.5% |
14 | Jacksonville, FL | $16,800 | $21,402 | 46.2% |
15 | Colorado Springs, CO | $16,783 | $23,345 | 38.2% |
16 | Oxnard, CA | $16,758 | $21,236 | 38.9% |
17 | Las Vegas, NV | $16,755 | $22,005 | 45.7% |
18 | Oklahoma City, OK | $16,746 | $21,243 | 43.0% |
19 | Seattle, WA | $16,711 | $21,670 | 37.0% |
20 | Baton Rouge, LA | $16,674 | $23,855 | 50.6% |
Source: LendingTree