Independent analysis · documented sources · reproducible calculations
Finance statistics are easy to repeat and easy to misread. Our Research & Data Center takes primary-source U.S. datasets, checks their definitions, shows our calculations and explains what conclusions the numbers do not support. No lender pays to change our interpretation.
FEATURED ORIGINAL RESEARCH · OCTOBER 2026
How did U.S. consumer credit change from 2024 to 2026?
Our first original dataset review compares the same month in three years of Federal Reserve G.19 records. Explore revolving versus nonrevolving balance movements, a source-backed table, independently calculated changes and explicit limitations.
What makes this research different?
01 / Evidence
Go to the original data
Each published report identifies its primary data source and observation window, with direct links for independent verification.
02 / Workings
See the calculations
We show units, assumptions and simple reproducible math rather than treating statistics as unexamined headlines.
03 / Boundaries
Understand the limits
We distinguish aggregate trends from individual advice and avoid causal claims that the underlying figures cannot establish.
Choose what you want to investigate
DATA REPORT
Consumer credit outstanding, August 2024–2026
Same-month changes in outstanding revolving and nonrevolving credit, with raw data and growth calculations.
APPLY THE METHOD
Borrowing scenario stress test
Use transparent, illustrative installment-loan mathematics to test what changes when annual rates or repayment terms move.
WORKED EXAMPLE
Worked financial decision cases
Follow step-by-step fictional scenarios with stated assumptions and calculations—not invented reader testimonials.
PLANNING RESOURCE
Free worksheets and data templates
Get downloadable, editable CSV worksheets for loan comparisons, irregular-income planning and student financial aid.
Our data and corrections standard
We identify a clear as-of date, source release, unit of measurement, transformation and rounding policy. We revisit reports when authoritative data are revised. Published aggregate figures are not surveys of EasyLoanWorld users, and illustrative case studies are always labeled as examples.
Our Editorial Policy, Corrections Policy and About Us pages describe publication responsibility and how to flag an issue. Reports do not claim independent professional review unless it has actually occurred.
Reliable starting points for source checking
For U.S. consumer-credit data, begin with the Federal Reserve G.19 release. For education affordability research, review the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data. For self-employment tax explanations, check the IRS small-business and self-employed resource center. These links are source directories, not claims that we have performed separate analyses of every dataset.
Useful numbers need context. A national trend does not tell you what your own loan should cost or whether a specific lender is appropriate. Use source documentation, personalized disclosures and the Decision Lab together.
Reproduce the published consumer-credit comparison
A research figure is more useful when you can identify the underlying observation and perform the same calculation independently. Our U.S. consumer-credit report uses seasonally adjusted Federal Reserve G.19 outstanding balances for August of each year, reported in millions of dollars. Those figures are not new loan originations or a measure of individual financial difficulty.
| August | Total | Revolving | Nonrevolving | Change in published total balance since prior August |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 5,055.8 | 1,340.2 | 3,715.6 | Not shown |
| 2025 | 5,058.6 | 1,308.3 | 3,750.3 | +0.06% |
| 2026 | 5,196.8 | 1,352.4 | 3,844.4 | +2.73% |
Source: Federal Reserve G.19 historical table, updated October 7, 2026. Converted from millions to billions and rounded. Changes are EasyLoanWorld comparisons of published balance levels and include source-series breaks; they are not the Federal Reserve’s break-adjusted growth rates. The original series can be revised. Read the full method and data-break notes.
- Find the observations. Open the Federal Reserve historical seasonally adjusted levels and identify August 2025 and August 2026 for the same credit series.
- Keep the units consistent. Total credit outstanding in the published comparison is approximately $5,058.59 billion in August 2025 and $5,196.78 billion in August 2026. The source table reports those quantities in millions; divide by 1,000 to express billions.
- Calculate the difference. Approximately $5,196.78B − $5,058.59B = $138.19 billion of additional outstanding consumer credit. Divide the difference by the 2025 starting balance to obtain approximately 2.73% change in published balance levels since August 2025.
- Separate the components. Of that balance change, roughly $44.10B is from revolving credit and $94.09B from nonrevolving credit, subject to rounding and later revisions. Changes in balances alone do not establish why households borrowed.
Data dictionary: four distinctions that prevent misleading headlines
- Outstanding stock versus new borrowing: The balance at a date reflects outstanding credit, not the amount of loans originated that month.
- Revolving versus nonrevolving: Different credit categories behave differently; a change in one component should not be presented as a change in every product or household.
- Seasonally adjusted versus unadjusted: Compare observations from the same series and adjustment convention rather than mixing them.
- Published-level changes versus adjusted growth rates: This table compares published balances, including data breaks. The Federal Reserve adjusts its reported growth rates for those breaks. Monthly annualized growth also covers a different period from a prior-August comparison.
What evidence would be needed for a stronger claim?
Aggregate G.19 balances do not establish whether delinquencies, household affordability, inflation-adjusted burdens or average lender APRs improved. Each question requires separately appropriate data, definitions and observation dates. If you cite a number, retain its primary source URL, release date, series identifier or table description, units, calculation and any revision caveat. Download the reusable Federal Reserve research workbook/CSV to reproduce the arithmetic, and submit a documented discrepancy through our Corrections Policy if the source is revised.