Long Island debt delinquency by community
Debt delinquency is when a borrower misses due date payment. Long Island’s debt delinquency rate compares positively to New York State’s, but the picture changes when we break the data by community demographics here.i
| Nassau County (majorly white communities) | Nassau County (communities of color) | Suffolk County (majorly white communities) | Suffolk County (communities of color) | |
| Any debt in collectionst | 10.49% | 24.36% | 14.93% | 26.24% |
| Medical debt | 2.71% | 4.40% | 3.79% | 4.54% |
| Student loan | 3.77% | 9.56% | 4.80% | 10.75% |
| Auto/retail debt | 1.09% | 3.01% | 1.65% | 3.23% |
| Credit card debt | 1.64% | 3.86% | 2.20% | 5.11% |
Regardless of the type of debt, communities of color have a higher rate of delinquency, and at times more than double the rate of majority white communities. This further exacerbates and reinforces the wealth and opportunity gaps.
Primarily white communities have a higher median credit card, medical and student loan debt in collections than communities of color, but communities of color still have a higher median debt overall.
Debt in collections includes past-due credit lines that have been closed off, as well as unpaid bills reported to the credit bureaus that the creditor is attempting to collect.
| Nassau County (majorly white communities) | Nassau County (communities of color) | Suffolk County (majorly white communities) | Suffolk County (communities of color) | |
| Any debt in collections | $2,062 | $2,126 | $2,131 | $2,303 |
| Medical debt | $341 | $310 | $414 | $413 |
| Student loan | $191 | $167 | $179 | $144 |
| Credit card debt | $883 | $670 | $913 | $607 |