The Most Debt-Ridden Cities in America

NEW YORK (MainStreet) -- When it comes to consumer debt, many of us are swimming deep in the red. According to the Federal Reserve, Americans' outstanding revolving credit, which includes credit card debt, was a staggering $801 billion in December. And a Bankrate.com survey released this week reports that one in four Americans has more credit card debt than emergency savings.

The nation's credit problem becomes even more real when you break down the data by location. Credit reporting agency Equifax did just that, providing us with the top 10 most debt-ridden U.S. cities based on which cities' residents owed the highest proportion of their average yearly income to credit card companies in the fourth quarter of 2011. The metro areas included in the rankings are defined by geographical standards set by the Office of Management and Budget.

Read on for the full list, and if any of the results surprise you, let us know in the comments section below.

When it comes to consumer debt, many Americans are swimming deep in the red.

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10th-most debt-ridden city: Montgomery, Ala.

Median household income: $37,964
Number of households: 147,538
Total credit card debt: $572,599,585
Average credit card debt per household: $3,881
Percent of income owed to credit card companies: 10.22%

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Ninth-most debt-ridden city: Anchorage, Alaska

Median household income: $68,468
Number of households: 143,298
Total Credit Card Debt: $1,005,210,188
Average credit card debt per household: $7,015
Percent of income owed to credit card companies: 10.25%

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