3 Midwestern cities rank in the top 5 for improved credit card use

Credit card delinquency is dropping rapidly in at least three Midwestern cities.

A new financial analysis compared proprietary user data from the first quarter of 2025 with the first quarter of 2026 to track where borrowers are doing the best job of catching up on their bills.

St. Louis, Missouri, earned the No. 1 spot nationwide, posting a 41.43% decrease in delinquent credit card accounts over the yearlong period.

“Residents are on their game now and doing more to keep their balances current, but it also has a lot to do with St. Louis residents may have reduced access to credit,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo told Heartlander News.

The average credit score for St. Louis residents is 637, which is considered fair. The score often leads to lower credit limits, which ironically can help borrowers manage their debt.

“In a weird way that works in St. Louis residents’ favor, because you have less credit to work with,” Lupo said.

It’s a similar story in Cincinnati, Ohio, where the average credit score is 632. The city ranked No. 4 in the study with a 27.99% decrease in credit card delinquency.

Madison, Wisconsin, ranked No. 3 with a 29.30% drop but presents a different scenario. The city has some of the lowest credit card debt in the nation and ranks high for strong budgeting habits.

“The Midwest does seem to have a reputation for sound financial management, strong financial discipline, those midwestern values you’re always hearing about,” Lupo said.

Other Midwestern cities included in the report, ranked by the decrease in credit card delinquency:

• No. 8 Omaha, Nebraska: 22.77%
• No. 10 Fort Wayne, Indiana: 27.70%
• No. 28 Detroit, Michigan: 25.41%
• No. 42 Indianapolis, Indiana: 24.01%
• No. 61 Chicago, Illinois: 22.50%
• No. 79 Des Moines, Iowa: 20.84%
• No. 91 Lincoln, Nebraska: 19.66%

Wichita, Kansas, ranked No. 99 overall with a 66.69% increase in delinquency.

“If you find yourself late on the credit account, make it current as soon as you can,” Lupo said. “If you make it up within that 30-day window, then it’s not going to show up on your credit report. A small price to pay, rather than having it sit on your credit report for seven years.”

Lupo said setting up automatic payments can significantly reduce the risk of missing credit card due dates. He added building an emergency fund can provide a safety net so households don’t have to rely on credit cards for unexpected costs.