It is estimated that at least 120 million copies of McGuffey's Readers were sold between 1836 and 1960, placing its sales in a category with the Bible and Webster's Dictionary. Since 1961, they have continued to sell at a rate of some 30,000 copies a year.
Our researchers found the median debt per American household to be $2,300, while the average debt stands at $5,700. Combined data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Federal Reserve allowed us to dive deeper into credit card debt in the United States, and look beyond the face value of those two figures.
The vast majority of Americans are in debt, according to a report from Pew Charitable Trusts published in July. For the most part, that debt comes from what many people would call a good thing â homeownership. Of the 80% of Americans with debt, 44% have mortgage debt. Overall, the median debt load among Americans is $67,900, overwhelmingly driven by mortgages (the median home loan balance is $103,000).