Best way to pay off credit card debt? Move to Indiana

• Altogether, Americans owe more than $1 trillion in credit card debt.
• Residents in some states are faring better than others when it comes to paying down their balances, according to a new report.
• Here is the nationwide rundown.

Collectively, Americans owe more than $1 trillion in credit card debt.

Despite the strong preference for plastic, that burden is not felt across the board. Residents in some states are faring better than others when it comes to paying down their balances, according to a new report by WalletHub.

Using the median credit card balance and monthly credit card payment of residents in each state based on credit data from TransUnion and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the personal finance site determined the required number of months to pay off that balance and the finance charges that would result, assuming an average 16.91% annual percentage rate.

From there, WalletHub ranked the states from least sustainable credit card debt — or longest payoff timeline — to shortest.

In Indiana, for example, where the average balance is only $2,313, it would take a little less than 10 months to pay that back while racking up $167 in interest charges.

In Alaska, however, the average balance is $4,144 — nearly twice as much — and that would take 19 months, or more than a year and a half, to pay off, while ringing up $575 in finance charges.

Here is the nationwide rundown:

States with the Highest & Lowest Credit-Card Debts

Rank*	State	Median Credit-Card Debt	Cost to Pay off	Months & Days Until Payoff
1	Alaska	$4,144	$575	19 months and 11 days
2	District of Columbia	$3,242	$404	17 months and 12 days
3	Vermont	$2,227	$247	15 months and 14 days
4	Washington	$2,880	$313	15 months and 3 days
5	Colorado	$2,985	$324	15 months and 3 days
6	Oregon	$2,641	$282	14 months and 29 days
7	Wyoming	$2,712	$290	14 months and 29 days
8	Virginia	$3,081	$327	14 months and 26 days
9	Montana	$2,579	$269	14 months and 17 days
10	New Mexico	$2,613	$268	14 months and 7 days
11	Kansas	$2,574	$264	14 months and 7 days
12	Texas	$2,860	$292	14 months and 4 days
13	Idaho	$2,426	$247	14 months and 4 days
14	North Dakota	$2,385	$236	13 months and 24 days
15	Georgia	$2,786	$274	13 months and 22 days
16	Utah	$2,508	$246	13 months and 20 days
17	Massachusetts	$2,459	$241	13 months and 19 days
18	California	$2,672	$261	13 months and 18 days
19	Arizona	$2,686	$262	13 months and 17 days
20	Minnesota	$2,510	$245	13 months and 17 days
21	Oklahoma	$2,628	$255	13 months and 15 days
22	North Carolina	$2,593	$251	13 months and 14 days
23	New Hampshire	$2,511	$242	13 months and 11 days
24	Nevada	$2,645	$254	13 months and 9 days
25	Maryland	$2,819	$270	13 months and 8 days
26	Tennessee	$2,544	$243	13 months and 8 days
27	Michigan	$2,343	$224	13 months and 7 days
28	South Carolina	$2,579	$245	13 months and 4 days
29	Maine	$2,265	$214	13 months and 2 days
30	Connecticut	$2,755	$260	13 months
31	Wisconsin	$2,120	$197	12 months and 29 days
32	Missouri	$2,460	$228	12 months and 29 days
33	Florida	$2,603	$239	12 months and 22 days
34	New York	$2,600	$238	12 months and 22 days
35	Louisiana	$2,600	$237	12 months and 19 days
36	New Jersey	$2,701	$246	12 months and 19 days
37	Illinois	$2,665	$241	12 months and 17 days
38	Rhode Island	$2,392	$216	12 months and 15 days
39	Iowa	$2,091	$188	12 months and 14 days
40	West Virginia	$2,331	$210	12 months and 14 days
41	Nebraska	$2,302	$207	12 months and 13 days
42	Ohio	$2,325	$207	12 months and 9 days
43	Arkansas	$2,353	$202	11 months and 29 days
44	Hawaii	$2,868	$246	11 months and 28 days
45	South Dakota	$2,449	$209	11 months and 25 days
46	Delaware	$2,515	$213	11 months and 23 days
47	Pennsylvania	$2,344	$198	11 months and 21 days
48	Alabama	$2,451	$206	11 months and 19 days
49	Kentucky	$2,248	$187	11 months and 14 days
50	Mississippi	$2,258	$170	10 months and 9 days
51	Indiana	$2,313	$167	9 months and 29 days

Source: Source: WalletHub

"This level of credit card debt is not sustainable," said Jill Gonzalez, an analyst at WalletHub.

Better credit card management boils down to making payments on time and not buying things you otherwise can't afford. Gonzalez also recommends making at least the minimum payment every month to avoid fees and putting extra resources toward paying down the highest-interest card first.

More from Personal Finance:
Here's one easy way to pay less to your credit card company
1 in 3 consumers fear they will max out a credit card
7 shopping hacks to keep your spending under control

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