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The average monthly payment for residents with auto loans, credit cards and other debt totaled $1,528, not including mortgages.
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Consumer debt in Hawaii rose faster than the national average in 2017, increasing 4.1 percent compared
with 3.5 percent across
the country.
The average monthly payment for residents with
auto loans, credit cards and other debt totaled $1,528, not including mortgages. That’s compared to $1,164 nationally. Monthly mortgage payments in the islands averaged $1,410, significantly higher than the national rate at $837.
However, the state’s delinquency rates are lower than the nation across all categories of debt, including personal loans at 0.9 percent versus 1.4 percent and bank cards at 0.75 percent compared with 1 percent,
according to a report
released Tuesday by the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.
“Beyond the mortgage,
we are higher in other categories, especially in home equity loans because Hawaii consumers, we use home
equity loans more than the nation because our housing price is high,” said chief state economist Eugene Tian. “In terms of delinquency rates, we are low on every category. Hawaii people have pretty good credit because our delinquent rate and foreclosure rate is low. That is a good sign.”
The highest growth in debt was in bank card and personal loans at 9.4 percent and 7.1 percent, respectively, versus the national average at 9.8 percent and 9.6 percent. In the fourth quarter, Hawaii’s total consumer debt was $82.1 billion, or
0.6 percent of the U.S. consumer debt of $13.3 trillion.