Credit card debt: How do you compare?

"Consumers reduced credit card debt by 11 percent last year, and average debt loads dropped in every state, CNNMoney.com reported today. The average credit card balance for 2011 was $6,576, down from $7,404 the previous year, according to a report from credit tracking and financial education website CreditKarma.com, based on data from more than 300,000 of its users. The state that racked up the most credit card debt was Alaska, where consumers had an average debt load of $7,937. Alaska was followed by New Hampshire and Connecticut...." According to the report Utah credit card debt averaged $5,816. BUT the report doesn't say how the numbers were derived. I guess the averages include people who pay their balance in full every month. The # may also include small businesses that run all their expenses through a credit card. Some of the debt reduction is likely due to defaults, not just paying down debt. Read more details at: http://money.cnn.com/2012/01/17/pf/credit_card_debt/index.htm