Key takeaway
Paying only minimums on the average $6,600 balance at 22% APR takes 94.6 years and costs $61,019 in interest — nearly ten times the original debt. The payoff timeline is identical in every state; what varies is the human burden. In the 20 states at the $7.25 federal minimum-wage floor, that $132 minimum payment consumes 10.5 cents of every dollar of full-time minimum-wage gross pay — 2.5× the burden in the lightest-burden states. This is an illustrative model with stated assumptions, not a survey of actual borrowers.
Run it on your numbers: the Avalanche vs. Snowball payoff calculator — run a faster payoff order on your own balances.
What this study is (and isn't)
This is a modeled simulation: one standardized debt ($6,600 at 22% APR, minimum = max(2% of balance, $25)) run through an amortization model, then compared against each state's 2026 minimum wage. It is not a survey of real borrowers, and it does not claim minimum-wage workers are the typical revolvers. The debt math — 1,135 months, $61,019.47 in interest — is identical in all 50 states; only the burden varies. Every assumption, formula, and data source is published in the full methodology, and the raw dataset is available as a CSV so anyone can check the work.
The 20 states where the trap is deepest
Twenty states share the federal $7.25 minimum wage floor — thirteen that match it by law, seven with no state minimum at all. In every one of them, the $132 minimum payment on the average balance consumes 10.5 cents of every dollar of full-time minimum-wage gross pay:
Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
A full-time minimum-wage worker in these states grosses $1,256.67 a month. The minimum payment alone takes $132 of it — before rent, before groceries, before everything else. There is essentially no room to pay more than the minimum, which is exactly how the trap holds.
The 5 states where the burden is lightest
At the other end, higher state minimum wages shrink the same payment down to a far smaller share of the paycheck:
- Washington ($17.13/hr) — 4.45%
- Connecticut ($16.94/hr) — 4.50%
- California ($16.90/hr) — 4.51%
- Hawaii ($16.00/hr) — 4.76%
- New York ($16.00/hr) — 4.76% (tied with Rhode Island)
The District of Columbia ($18.40/hr, 4.14%) would top this list, but it's shown as an unranked reference — it's not a state.
Even in Washington, the lightest-burden state, minimums-only still means 94.6 years and $61,019 in interest. A lighter burden doesn't make the trap safe. It just makes it survivable enough to escape — if you pay more than the minimum.
The honest math: the timeline is identical everywhere
To be completely clear about what this ranking does and doesn't say: the payoff timeline, total interest, and total paid are exactly the same in all 50 states. Debt math doesn't care about geography. What varies is the human cost — how much of a minimum-wage paycheck the minimum payment devours. We rank burden, not duration, because duration doesn't differ.
Why minimum payments are built this way
A typical minimum-payment formula — 2% of the balance, or $25, whichever is more — sets the payment just above the monthly interest charge. In month one on $6,600 at 22% APR, $121 of your $132 payment is interest. Only $11 touches the principal. The balance barely moves, so next month's 2% is nearly as large, and the cycle repeats for decades. The result is a debt-servicing plan, not a debt-payoff plan — the numbers below are what the formula produces, not anyone's opinion of it.
What to do instead
Anything above the minimum collapses the timeline. Paying a fixed $200 a month instead of the declining minimum on that same $6,600 balance cuts payoff from 94.6 years to about 4.3 years and interest from $61,019 to roughly $3,600. Run your own numbers:
- Avalanche vs. Snowball payoff calculator — compare payoff strategies on your actual balances
- Balance transfer analyzer — see what a 0% promo saves versus minimums
- The minimum-payment trap, explained — the mechanics behind these numbers
Run your own numbers: the trap in your state
The table below ranks one standard balance for everyone. This calculator runs yours: pick your state, enter your balance and APR, and see how long minimum payments alone would take — plus what one fixed monthly payment does instead. It uses this study's exact model (minimum = max(2% of balance, $25); interest at APR ÷ 12 each month; no new charges), the same math as the debt payoff calculator. Your numbers never leave your device.
Related research
Debt is only one lens. See where your income, net worth, and retirement savings stand against official national and state benchmarks — then explore the Figmetric tools that match your situation:
- Where You Stand: See your numbers in context — Figmetric's interactive benchmark experience. Private by design: your numbers never leave your device.
Cite this study
Journalists and researchers: you're welcome to cite these figures. Please credit Figmetric and link to this page.
"Figmetric, 'The Minimum-Payment Trap in All 50 States' (September 2026). Modeled simulation: $6,600 balance, 22% APR, minimum payment = max(2% of balance, $25); burden ranked against 2026 state minimum wages. https://figmetric.com/guides/minimum-payment-trap-50-states/"
All 50 states, ranked by burden
Click any column header to sort. "Burden" is the first month's minimum payment as a share of full-time monthly minimum-wage gross pay.
| Rank | State | Min. wage 2026 | Monthly full-time pay | Burden | Months to payoff | Total interest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama | $7.25 | $1,256.67 | 10.50% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 2 | Georgia | $7.25 | $1,256.67 | 10.50% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 3 | Idaho | $7.25 | $1,256.67 | 10.50% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 4 | Indiana | $7.25 | $1,256.67 | 10.50% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 5 | Iowa | $7.25 | $1,256.67 | 10.50% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 6 | Kansas | $7.25 | $1,256.67 | 10.50% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 7 | Kentucky | $7.25 | $1,256.67 | 10.50% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 8 | Louisiana | $7.25 | $1,256.67 | 10.50% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 9 | Mississippi | $7.25 | $1,256.67 | 10.50% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | $7.25 | $1,256.67 | 10.50% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 11 | North Carolina | $7.25 | $1,256.67 | 10.50% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 12 | North Dakota | $7.25 | $1,256.67 | 10.50% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 13 | Oklahoma | $7.25 | $1,256.67 | 10.50% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $7.25 | $1,256.67 | 10.50% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 15 | South Carolina | $7.25 | $1,256.67 | 10.50% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 16 | Tennessee | $7.25 | $1,256.67 | 10.50% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 17 | Texas | $7.25 | $1,256.67 | 10.50% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 18 | Utah | $7.25 | $1,256.67 | 10.50% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | $7.25 | $1,256.67 | 10.50% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 20 | Wyoming | $7.25 | $1,256.67 | 10.50% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $8.75 | $1,516.67 | 8.70% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 22 | Montana | $10.85 | $1,881.19 | 7.02% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 23 | Arkansas | $11.00 | $1,906.67 | 6.92% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 24 | Ohio | $11.00 | $1,906.67 | 6.92% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 25 | Minnesota | $11.41 | $1,977.73 | 6.67% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 26 | South Dakota | $11.85 | $2,054.00 | 6.43% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 27 | Nevada | $12.00 | $2,080.00 | 6.35% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 28 | New Mexico | $12.00 | $2,080.00 | 6.35% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 29 | Virginia | $12.77 | $2,213.47 | 5.96% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 30 | Michigan | $13.73 | $2,379.87 | 5.55% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 31 | Alaska | $14.00 | $2,426.67 | 5.44% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 32 | Florida | $14.00 | $2,426.67 | 5.44% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 33 | Vermont | $14.42 | $2,499.47 | 5.28% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 34 | Delaware | $15.00 | $2,600.00 | 5.08% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 35 | Illinois | $15.00 | $2,600.00 | 5.08% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 36 | Maryland | $15.00 | $2,600.00 | 5.08% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 37 | Massachusetts | $15.00 | $2,600.00 | 5.08% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 38 | Missouri | $15.00 | $2,600.00 | 5.08% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $15.00 | $2,600.00 | 5.08% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 40 | Maine | $15.10 | $2,617.33 | 5.04% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 41 | Arizona | $15.15 | $2,626.00 | 5.03% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 42 | Colorado | $15.16 | $2,627.73 | 5.02% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 43 | Oregon | $15.55 | $2,695.33 | 4.90% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 44 | New Jersey | $15.92 | $2,759.47 | 4.78% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 45 | Hawaii | $16.00 | $2,773.33 | 4.76% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 46 | New York | $16.00 | $2,773.33 | 4.76% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 47 | Rhode Island | $16.00 | $2,773.33 | 4.76% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 48 | California | $16.90 | $2,929.33 | 4.51% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 49 | Connecticut | $16.94 | $2,936.27 | 4.50% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| 50 | Washington | $17.13 | $2,969.20 | 4.45% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
| — | District of Columbia † | $18.40 | $3,189.33 | 4.14% | 1,135 | $61,019.47 |
† District of Columbia shown as an unranked reference row; it is not a state. Payoff timeline and total interest are identical in every state — only the burden varies. See the full methodology.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to pay off $6,600 making only minimum payments?
About 94.6 years at 22% APR with a standard 2%-of-balance ($25 floor) minimum — paying $61,019 in interest on top of the original $6,600. This is a modeled simulation, not a survey of real borrowers.
Why do minimum payments barely reduce the balance?
Because the minimum is calibrated just above the monthly interest charge. In month one, $121 of a $132 payment is interest; only $11 retires principal.
Does the minimum-payment trap differ by state?
The payoff math is identical everywhere. What differs is the burden: the same $132 minimum is 10.5% of a full-time minimum-wage paycheck in the 20 states at the $7.25 federal floor, versus 4.5% in Washington.
What's the fastest way out of credit-card debt?
Pay a fixed amount well above the minimum every month — the avalanche method (highest APR first) minimizes interest. A 0% balance-transfer promo can also pause interest while you pay down principal. See how the minimum-payment trap works on a single card, and how long a $10,000 balance takes to clear at realistic payment levels.
Last updated: October 25, 2026