Point/counterpoint: Paying off credit card debt

Point

[emphasis added]

Reported in Wisconsin has one of the lowest credit card debt burdens in the country, study finds.  (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 12/13/2018)

Counterpoint
Financial stress is rising for low- and middle-income U.S. households.  (USA Today, 4/18/2018)

That also means that credit cards are likely to be used to help make ends meet, i.e., to accumulate more debt.  While wages for low- and middle-income Americans are rising, they're not keeping up with higher costs, like rent and utilities. That means these households aren't riding the hopeful trends lifting many families: unemployment tumbling to 4.1% today from 10% in 2009; debt levels close to record lows; climbing consumer confidence and spending.

Households with lowest and highest net worth have highest credit card debt.  (Cleveland.com, 9/28/2018)

All those rewards on travel and dining are really going to come in handy for those with lowest net worth.  Why would high-net-worth households carry so much credit card debt? Perhaps for one simple reason – because they can. Wealthier households are more likely to make more purchases and to pay off balances whenever they choose to do so.They may run purchases through their credit cards to get rewards or other perks even when they could afford to pay cash.