One in ten active credit card accounts at large U.S. banks was using at least 93.79% of its credit limit in the second quarter of 2026. A quarter of accounts were at 49.67% or more, and the median account used 7.08% of its limit.
In the same quarter, 3.95% of accounts had their credit line raised and 1.53% had it cut. When the series starts in Q3 2012, the median was 9.43% and the 90th percentile 94.59%.
How much of their credit limit card accounts use
| Quarter | Median | 75th percentile | 90th percentile | Accounts with a line increase | Accounts with a line decrease |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q3 2012 | 9.43% | 59.70% | 94.59% | 1.17% | n.a. |
| Q4 2019 | 10.14% | 56.51% | 94.09% | 3.69% | 1.48% |
| Q1 2021 | 5.11% | 41.77% | 87.89% | 2.36% | 1.74% |
| Q2 2024 | 7.67% | 51.86% | 94.26% | 3.72% | 1.56% |
| Q2 2025 | 7.25% | 50.91% | 94.04% | 3.39% | 1.53% |
| Q4 2025 | 8.55% | 53.09% | 94.85% | 3.78% | 1.59% |
| Q1 2026 | 6.56% | 49.63% | 93.61% | 3.60% | 1.74% |
| Q2 2026 | 7.08% | 49.67% | 93.79% | 3.95% | 1.53% |
The CSV has every quarter from Q3 2012.
What this counts
Utilization is the balance at the end of the billing cycle divided by the account’s current credit limit. The figures are percentiles across active accounts, meaning open accounts with any activity in the last 12 months, so some have a zero balance. They are per account, not per person; credit scores usually look at utilization across all of a person’s cards. Accounts paid in full each month still show the cycle-ending balance here.
The Philadelphia Fed builds these figures from account-level data that the largest U.S. banks file with the Federal Reserve on form FR Y-14M. They cover only banks large enough to file it, so smaller banks and credit unions are not included. FRED dates each quarter to its first day.
Our credit utilization calculator works out the ratio for your own cards.
Source
Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, Large Bank Consumer Credit Card Balances (FR Y-14M data), retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (RCCCBACTIVEUTILPCT50, RCCCBACTIVEUTILPCT75, RCCCBACTIVEUTILPCT90, RCCCBPCTCLINC, RCCCBPCTCLDEC). FRED shows the series last updated October 7, 2026. We pulled them on October 15, 2026. Our table is available under CC BY 4.0. Credit "My Credit Guide (mycreditguide.org)".
Steven Reynolds, "How Much of Their Credit Limit Cardholders Use," My Credit Guide, October 15, 2026, https://mycreditguide.org/data/credit-card-utilization/.