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Debt Collector Complaints by State

This data comes from the CFPB Consumer Complaint Database and reflects consumer complaints, not proven violations.

56 states and territories, dual rankings by total complaints and distinct companies named

This table groups consumer-filed CFPB debt-collection complaints by the state reported in each filing. Total complaints and distinct companies named answer different descriptive questions, but neither measure establishes misconduct, a legal violation, or the protections available in a state.

The CFPB record does not supply a causal explanation for state-to-state differences. Population, which companies consumers encounter, reporting behavior, and use of the federal complaint channel can all affect the counts. PlainCollector does not use these complaint totals to infer state-law deadlines, licensing requirements, or enforcement.

The Top Collector column identifies the company named in the most CFPB complaints from residents of that state in this dataset. Open a state page to see the underlying company counts and complaint categories; use an official source for any legal question.

All counts derive directly from the public CFPB Consumer Complaint Database. Complaints do not represent proven legal violations, they are consumer-submitted reports that the CFPB forwards to the named company for response. Each company response is logged ("Closed with explanation", "Closed with non-monetary relief", "Closed with monetary relief", "Closed without relief", or "Untimely response"). Our reputation grades weight timely-response rate and relief-rate alongside complaint volume so a high-volume collector that responds well is graded above a smaller collector with a high non-response rate.

Volume vs company breadth

Texas leads absolute volume (172,149 complaints) and also leads company breadth (2,473 distinct companies) in this extract. The paired tables below sort the same jurisdictions both ways. Per-100k rates are omitted here because the current state_rankings extract does not carry a population join.

Highest total complaints

# State Complaints
1 Texas 172,149
2 Florida 124,524
3 California 112,020
4 Georgia 85,576
5 New York 53,744
6 Illinois 41,794
7 Pennsylvania 40,073
8 North Carolina 38,233
9 New Jersey 30,806
10 Ohio 30,195
11 South Carolina 28,151
12 Virginia 27,934

Most distinct companies named

# State Companies
1 Texas 2,473
2 California 2,387
3 Florida 2,279
4 Georgia 1,879
5 New York 1,598
6 Illinois 1,540
7 Ohio 1,483
8 North Carolina 1,462
9 Pennsylvania 1,429
10 Virginia 1,426
11 Arizona 1,405
12 Michigan 1,317

All jurisdictions (by volume)

Rank State Total Complaints Companies
#1 Texas TX 172,149 2,473
#2 Florida FL 124,524 2,279
#3 California CA 112,020 2,387
#4 Georgia GA 85,576 1,879
#5 New York NY 53,744 1,598
#6 Illinois IL 41,794 1,540
#7 Pennsylvania PA 40,073 1,429
#8 North Carolina NC 38,233 1,462
#9 New Jersey NJ 30,806 1,278
#10 Ohio OH 30,195 1,483
#11 South Carolina SC 28,151 1,258
#12 Virginia VA 27,934 1,426
#13 Michigan MI 26,445 1,317
#14 Arizona AZ 25,734 1,405
#15 Maryland MD 25,302 1,273
#16 Louisiana LA 22,643 1,120
#17 Tennessee TN 21,990 1,252
#18 Alabama AL 21,381 1,136
#19 Missouri MO 16,438 1,173
#20 Nevada NV 15,389 1,060
#21 Washington WA 14,503 1,146
#22 Indiana IN 14,412 1,118
#23 Massachusetts MA 13,646 924
#24 Mississippi MS 11,959 890
#25 Colorado CO 11,327 1,057
#26 Wisconsin WI 9,149 950
#27 Oklahoma OK 9,045 907
#28 Minnesota MN 8,502 835
#29 Connecticut CT 8,336 752
#30 Arkansas AR 8,306 758
#31 Kentucky KY 7,180 861
#32 Oregon OR 6,805 873
#33 Delaware DE 5,202 642
#34 Utah UT 5,102 758
#35 Kansas KS 4,617 722
#36 Iowa IA 3,765 674
#37 New Mexico NM 3,541 654
#38 District of Columbia DC 3,445 560
#39 Nebraska NE 2,868 496
#40 Rhode Island RI 2,603 448
#41 West Virginia WV 2,603 415
#42 Idaho ID 2,556 561
#43 Hawaii HI 2,125 464
#44 New Hampshire NH 1,844 474
#45 Maine ME 1,549 373
#46 Puerto Rico PR 1,454 286
#47 North Dakota ND 1,316 305
#48 Montana MT 1,286 357
#49 South Dakota SD 977 290
#50 Alaska AK 969 308
#51 Wyoming WY 840 254
#52 Vermont VT 508 217
#53 Virgin Islands VI 162 86
#54 Guam GU 53 46
#55 Northern Mariana Islands MP 13 12
#56 American Samoa AS 7 7

State complaint FAQ

Which jurisdiction has the most CFPB debt-collection complaints?
Texas leads this extract with 172,149 consumer-filed complaints. Absolute volume scales with population and how often residents use the federal channel, not proven misconduct.
Which jurisdiction names the most distinct debt-collection companies in complaints?
Texas leads company breadth with 2,473 distinct companies named in CFPB filings from that residence state. Breadth and volume can diverge, a high-volume state may concentrate complaints in fewer national collectors.
Do complaint counts mean a state has worse collectors?
No. CFPB complaints are consumer-submitted reports, not adjudicated violations. Population, company portfolio size, legal-aid outreach, and awareness of the federal channel all move the counts. Use company-level state pages for response-quality context.
How many jurisdictions does this hub cover?
This table lists 56 states and territories present in the CFPB debt-collection extract. Territories with sparse filings still appear when at least one complaint names that residence state.

How to Use the State Rankings

For consumers: locate your state in the table and click through to the per-state collector breakdown. The state detail page surfaces (a) which debt collectors and credit-reporting agencies receive the most complaints from residents of your state, (b) the dominant FDCPA-violation theme within those complaints, and (c) the response-quality profile (timely-response and consumer-dispute rates) of the collectors most active in your state. If you are currently dealing with a collector, cross-reference its name against the per-state list before deciding whether to file your own CFPB complaint or pursue state-level remedies.

State Variation Worth Watching

Counts can change as consumers, companies, and use of the CFPB complaint channel change. The data does not establish why a state moves up or down the ranking, and it does not identify the legal rules or enforcement practices that apply in a state.

Cross-Reference Federal With State Channels

The CFPB Consumer Complaint Database is the federal source used for these rankings. It is not a complete census of state complaints or a directory of state-law remedies. Consult the relevant official state source if those questions matter to your situation.

What State Pages Cannot Tell You

Three limitations are worth keeping in mind when reading any state page. First, state of residence in the CFPB dataset captures the consumer's address at filing, not the collector's. National collectors operate from a small number of corporate centers but appear on every state's per-state page. Second, complaint volume is not the same as misconduct, a collector with a national portfolio of millions of accounts will generate more complaints in any given state than a small regional firm even if both follow identical practices. Third, complaint volume reflects consumer awareness of the federal channel as much as actual collection behavior, states with active legal-aid networks and consumer-advocacy organizations tend to file more federal complaints regardless of underlying conduct. Use absolute complaint counts to gauge magnitude; use company-breadth ranks and per-collector breakdowns to gauge intensity.