California, Florida Cardholders Get Credit for Having Highest Available Credit

When inflation and cost of living are high, some Americans need to rely more on their available credit to cover expenses or emergencies.

To find out where this is most common, researchers analyzed about 307,000 anonymized credit reports of LendingTree users to calculate available credit, card balances, credit limits and utilization ratios nationwide and in the 100 largest U.S. metros.

Among our key findings is that the median available credit among Americans with an active credit card is $20,372, while the average is $35,474. Leading the way are metros in California and Florida, while cardholders in El Paso, Texas, have the lowest amount of available credit.

Here’s what we learned, along with tips on how to increase your credit limit.

Key findings

• The median available credit — how much consumers have left before hitting their credit limit — in the U.S. is $20,372. Meanwhile, the average available credit is $35,474. The median credit utilization rate for Americans is 18.0%, while the average is 34.6%.
• Cardholders in San Jose, Calif. — in the heart of Silicon Valley — have the highest median available credit at $39,252. They also have the second-highest median credit limit among the 100 largest metros in the U.S. — $46,925 — and the lowest median credit utilization rate — 10.0%. The metros with the next highest median available credit are San Francisco ($38,084) and North Port, Fla. ($33,498). San Francisco has the highest median credit limit among the 100 largest metros, at $48,100.
• Cardholders in El Paso, Texas, have the lowest median available credit at $10,768. They have the lowest median credit limit — $19,375 — and the highest median credit utilization rate — 34.0%, 88.9% higher than the national median. Augusta, Ga., and Jackson, Miss., have the second- and third-lowest median available credit at $11,023 and $11,234, respectively.

Median available credit in U.S. is $20,372

Available credit — how much consumers have left before hitting their credit limit — can be good to have in an emergency.

The median (the middle dollar amount in a range) available credit in the U.S. is $20,372, while the average (the sum of individual values divided by the total number of values) is $35,474.

Available credit can also be an important indicator of credit health because of its impact on your credit utilization ratio. Credit utilization refers to the percentage of your total credit used (or the amount you owe compared to your credit limit). Credit utilization is weighed heavily within credit score calculations, part of the amounts owed category that accounts for 30% of your FICO Score. The lower your utilization, the better off you are.

Our analysis found that the median credit utilization rate for Americans is 18.0%, while the average is 34.6%. For context, the credit-scoring models favor utilization rates below 30% (but as close to zero as possible).

“Unfortunately, millions of Americans use credit cards as a de facto emergency fund, and that extra available credit can provide a much-needed cushion if things get tough,” says Schulz, the author of “Ask Questions, Save Money, Make More: How to Take Control of Your Financial Life.”

How much available credit Americans have

Source: LendingTree analysis of about 307,000 anonymized credit reports of LendingTree users from Jan. 1 through March 31, 2024. Note: This includes only consumers with an active credit card.

While we’ll get into metros next, it’s important to note that areas with lower amounts of available credit tend to have higher utilization rates.

“While some Americans have far more available credit than they’d ever use, many others have very limited available credit and often use most of it because they don’t feel they have another choice,” Schulz says. Put another way, he says, “It’s a whole lot easier for someone with a credit limit of $500 or $1,000 to max out their card than it is for someone with a $50,000 credit limit.”

Cardholders in San Jose, Calif., have highest median available credit

California and Florida metros dominate the top spots when it comes to available credit.

San Jose, Calif. — in the heart of Silicon Valley — is the metro in which cardholders have the highest median available credit at $39,252. They also have the second-highest median credit limit among the 100 largest metros — $46,925 — and the lowest median credit utilization rate — 10.0%.

Next on the list of highest median available credit is San Francisco ($38,084). The City by the Bay has the highest median credit limit in the nation, at $48,100. Rounding out the median available credit top three is North Port, Fla., at $33,498.

Metros with the highest median available credit

Source: LendingTree analysis of about 212,000 anonymized credit reports of LendingTree users from Jan. 1 through March 31, 2024, in the 100 most populous U.S. metros. Note: This includes only consumers with an active credit card.

“All other things being equal, the higher your income, the higher your credit limit often is,” Schulz says. That’s because income is one of the key factors that card issuers consider when deciding what credit limit to offer. “And San Jose and San Francisco are among the highest-income metros in the country,” he adds.

Specifically, median household incomes in San Jose and San Francisco are $136,010 and $136,689, respectively, compared with the U.S. median of $75,149. North Port is slightly higher than that at $78,815.

Cardholders in El Paso, Texas, have lowest median available credit

Conversely, the metros with the lowest median available credit are El Paso, Texas, with just $10,768, followed by Augusta, Ga. ($11,023), and Jackson, Miss. ($11,234).

El Paso cardholders also have the lowest median credit limit of $19,375, and the highest median credit utilization rate of 34.0%. In fact, this utilization rate is 88.9% higher than the national median.

Metros with the lowest available credit

Source: LendingTree analysis of about 212,000 anonymized credit reports of LendingTree users from Jan. 1 through March 31, 2024, in the 100 most populous U.S. metros. Note: This includes only consumers with an active credit card.

Just as with the top three metros, income — in this case, lower income — likely plays a role for the bottom three. In fact, the median household income in each is far lower than the national median of $75,149:

• El Paso: $55,710
• Augusta: $50,492
• Jackson: $42,193

Full rankings

Median available credit among consumers in 100 largest U.S. metros

Source: LendingTree analysis of about 212,000 anonymized credit reports of LendingTree users from Jan. 1 through March 31, 2024, in the 100 most populous U.S. metros. Note: This includes only consumers with an active credit card.

Average available credit among consumers in 100 largest U.S. metros

Source: LendingTree analysis of about 212,000 anonymized credit reports of LendingTree users from Jan. 1 through March 31, 2024, in the 100 most populous U.S. metros. Note: This includes only consumers with an active credit card.

4 tips to increase your credit limit

But even if you carry some debt, as long as you pay your bills on time and try to keep your credit utilization in check, you can protect your credit health. One way to do this is by increasing your credit limits.

“Higher credit limits can help your credit score by improving your utilization,” Schulz says. “That can be a big deal, but you absolutely, positively have to make sure you don’t just use that available credit to go spend. If you do, you’re defeating the purpose of the whole thing.”

Here are some ways to increase your credit limits:

• Ask your issuer. Although some card issuers may automatically increase your credit limits, you can also take it upon yourself to request an increase. “Your chances of success here are likely higher than you think,” Schulz says. Just don’t do it too often, too quickly after getting a new card or too soon before applying for a major loan like a mortgage or auto loan, he adds.
• Be honest. To increase the chances that your credit limit will be approved, explain to the card company why you’re seeking more credit. “If you’re doing it to try to improve your credit, tell them,” Schulz says. “If your income has risen for whatever reason, tell them.” Conversely, if there’s a short-term reason why you might need some extra credit, such as a medical emergency or a job loss, you can be up front about that, too. “Banks have programs designed to help people through these times, but they can’t help if they don’t know your situation,” he adds.
• Keep your account in good standing. “Lenders are likely to give the benefit of the doubt to their best customers,” Schulz says. “The more you can do to get your account in good standing, the better chance you’ll likely have of getting your request granted.”
• Open a new card. For some people, opening a new card may be the better route to ramp up available credit. “Just make sure you’re comfortable taking on the extra responsibilities that come with having that extra card,” Schulz warns. “Otherwise, you might dig your hole deeper.”

Methodology

LendingTree researchers analyzed about 307,000 anonymized credit reports from LendingTree users with an active credit card between Jan. 1 and March 31, 2024 — the first quarter of 2024. Analysts excluded closed cards with a balance, meaning cards in collection or charge-off.

The analysts calculated each user’s credit limit, balance, available credit and credit utilization ratio. These calculations were then aggregated (by median and average) across the 100 largest U.S. metropolitan areas.

Joint accounts weren’t treated differently, as analysts assumed joint holders have equal access to credit and equal responsibility for balances.

Researchers used the U.S. Census Bureau 2022 American Community Survey with five-year estimates to identify the 100 largest metros.