By — Paul Solman Paul Solman By — Ryan Connelly Holmes Ryan Connelly Holmes Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/credit-card-debt-surges-in-u-s-as-high-interest-rates-make-it-harder-to-pay-off Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Audio Americans owe more than a trillion dollars in credit card debt, up 60% from just five years ago. Meanwhile, higher interest rates make debt even more difficult to pay off, a downward spiral causing credit card delinquencies to surge. Economics correspondent Paul Solman explains. Listen to this Segment Watch Watch the Full Episode PBS NewsHour from Aug 11, 2026 By — Paul Solman Paul Solman Paul Solman has been a correspondent for the PBS News Hour since 1985, mainly covering business and economics. @paulsolman By — Ryan Connelly Holmes Ryan Connelly Holmes