St. Louis Leads Nation As Credit Card Delinquencies Improve, WalletHub Finds
By CU Today Staff —
MIAMI—Credit card delinquency rates improved across most major U.S. cities over the past year, with St. Louis posting the largest decline, according to a new analysis by WalletHub.
Using proprietary data comparing the first quarter of 2025 with the first quarter of 2026, WalletHub found the average number of delinquent credit card tradelines fell 41.4% in St. Louis, followed by San Bernardino (-32.8%), Madison (-29.3%), Cincinnati (-28.0%) and Boston (-27.9%).
WalletHub said the broad declines suggest improving payment performance in many local markets, though progress varied widely by city. Other metros showing notable improvement included New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Miami.
Not every market moved in the same direction. WalletHub found Wichita and Winston-Salem were the only two cities to experience increases in delinquent credit card tradelines year over year, rising 66.7% and 72.0%, respectively.
According to WalletHub, the rankings were based on changes in the average number of delinquent credit card tradelines between the first quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, providing a snapshot of where repayment trends have improved the most—and where borrowers are falling further behind.
Originally reported by CU Today.