• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer, March 8, 2007

According to the latest National Score Index study by Experian Consumer Direct Approximately, 14 percent of the U.S. population has more than 10 credit cards. The states with the highest percentage of consumers with at least 10 credit cards are New Hampshire and New Jersey, where the average is approximately 20 percent.

Nationally, one in seven consumers (14.3 percent) use 50 percent or more of their available credit. Alaska and Hawaii top this category, with about 17 percent of their residents using more than 50 percent of their available credit.

Overall the study reports the following selected data:

• U.S. consumers have an average of four credit cards
• Approximately 51 percent of the U.S. population has at least two credit cards
• Approximately 14 percent of the U.S. population has more than 10 credit cards
• About 14 percent of the U.S. population uses at least 50 percent of their available credit
• U.S. consumers who use at least 50 percent of their available credit carry an average of 6.6 credit cards
• The national average credit score for those with credit card utilization of at least 50 percent is 645, compared with the overall national average of 674

Ty Taylor, president of Experian Consumer Direct, noted that using credit cards... is a convenient way for consumers to get the items they want... though maxing out credit cards has a negative effect on their credit score.

For more information about Experian, see the release here.