Racial Differences in Debt Delinquencies and Implications for Retirement Preparedness
Penn collection
Degree type
Discipline
Subject
debt
retirement
financial wellbeing
credit use
Funder
Grant number
Copyright date
Distributor
Related resources
Author
Contributor
Abstract
We document the prevalence and amount of debt delinquency in the US among older adults, overall and by racial/ethnic group characteristics. Using administrative data on credit use for a sample of 4 million older adult borrowers, we show that about one in five consumers age 50+ with a credit bureau record had delinquent debt in August 2022, suggesting difficulties meeting financial obligations in retirement. The prevalence of debt delinquency decreased with age. Consumers living in areas where a majority of residents identify as American Indian/Alaska Native, Black, Hispanic, or Asian American/Pacific Islander were more likely to have delinquent
debt and/or higher median amounts of delinquent debt, relative to consumers in majority-White areas, for various types of delinquent debt.