Average Personal Loan Interest Rates
Last updated: June 2026 · Updated monthly · Cite freely with a link
Average APR on a 24-month personal loan at commercial banks, Q1 2026 — down from 11.66% a year earlier. Source: Federal Reserve G.19 Consumer Credit release.
The headline numbers, June 2026
- 11.40% — average 24-month personal loan APR at commercial banks (Fed G.19, Q1 2026)
- 21.00% — average APR across all credit card accounts; 21.52% for accounts actually carrying a balance (Fed G.19, Q1 2026)
- ~23.8% — average APR offered on new credit cards (industry tracking, June 2026)
- 3.50%–3.75% — federal funds target range after five cuts since September 2024
The roughly ten-point spread between average personal loan rates and average credit card rates is the entire mathematical case for debt consolidation — and why card debt is the most expensive mainstream debt most households carry.
What rate should you expect? By credit tier
The G.19 average blends every borrower together. Your realistic range depends on your credit tier:
| Credit tier | Typical personal loan APR (2026) |
|---|---|
| Excellent (720+) | 6% – 12% |
| Good (660–719) | 9% – 18% |
| Fair (600–659) | 17% – 30% |
| Poor (below 600) | 28% – 36%+ |
Ranges compiled from published lender terms across major online lenders; individual offers vary by income, debt-to-income ratio, and state. The spread between lenders for the same borrower routinely reaches 5–10 percentage points — see how to compare offers.
Direction of travel
Personal loan pricing has eased modestly as the Fed cut rates from a 5.25%–5.50% peak to today's 3.50%–3.75% range: the G.19 average has declined roughly half a percentage point from its mid-2024 highs. Credit card rates have barely moved by comparison — card APRs are far less sensitive to Fed policy than installment loan rates, with subprime cardholders paying margins of 19–20 percentage points over prime versus 11–12 points for excellent-credit cardholders, per Federal Reserve Bank of Boston analysis.
Sources & methodology
Rate averages: Federal Reserve G.19 Consumer Credit release (quarterly; "most common rate" survey of ~75 commercial banks). Card margin analysis: Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Current Policy Perspectives (2026). Credit-tier ranges: Pinnacle Lending compilation of published lender terms, reviewed quarterly. This page is updated when each G.19 release publishes. Journalists and researchers may cite any figure on this page with attribution and a link.
Estimate what these rates mean in dollars with our loan payment calculator.