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.
Debt-free Americans are a dying breed. We may not have as much debt as we used to, but collectively, we are still very much in the red. The average American now has $47,000 in debt, down from a peak of $53,000 in 2008. So if you have less than that, or if you have more but can keep up with monthly payments, youâre probably doing better than your neighbors.