Hawaii consumers paying down debt

The average Hawaii consumer had $7,457 in credit card debt last month, down nearly 1 percent from $7,524 in January, and down 5 percent from $7,849 a year ago, according to

Credit­Karma.com

.

Nationally, credit card debt stood at an average of $6,105 in February, down 15 percent year-over-year.

The California-based credit scoring website shows average Hawaii mortgage debt in February was $298,278 in February, down 3.6 percent from $309,311 in January, and down 3 percent from $307,517 a year ago.

National average mortgage debt in February was $170,312.

The only debt indicator to show a year-over-year increase in Hawaii was the automotive category, up 1.2 percent to $15,693, from $15,507, a possible sign that consumers are buying more vehicles.

Hawaii student loan debt was down 6.7 percent from a year ago, at $25,694 from $27,538, but up 3.8 percent from January.

The average Hawaii credit score is up to 673 from 672 a year ago, while the national average credit score for February is 659. The highest credit scores were in New Jersey (681), Massachusetts (679) and California (677), while the lowest were in Louisiana (635), Arkansas (634) and Mississippi (624).

"You have to use credit to improve your credit score. That is why states with higher credit scores tend to have a higher cost of living. Consumers in those states need credit for things like mortgages and other living expenses," Ken Lin, CEO of Credit­Karma.com, said in a statement.

CreditKarma.com compares the current credit scores of more than 442,000 of its users each month, with previous scores pulled 30 to 90 days before the stated month.