New report ranks Georgia among the top 10 worst states for money management

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a new rule proposal, but industry and consumer advocates want the regulator to help set limits on debt collection lawsuits. Tens of thousands of metro Atlanta residents get dragged into small-claims courts over debts. Consumer advocates and some industry officials say the proposed rule fails to address some of the most egregious abuses. One Atlanta consumer attorney said she sees widespread examples of cases in which clients have been sued for debts they do

With United States households sitting on a record $14 trillion in debt, it's no surprise that credit card balances rose by $13 billion this year. In fact, consumer debt is now about $1.3 trillion higher than the previous peak set in 2008, according to CNN.

»  RELATED: Georgia ranked among top 10 states with highest credit card debt

And Georgia residents are no different than the rest of the nation. The financial website WalletHub ranked the state among the top 10 states with the highest credit card debt back in September. And now a new report places Georgia among the worst states for managing money.

A new report released by CreditCards.com ranked the best and worst states for money management by comparing the median annual household income and the average credit score in each state and the District of Columbia.

The median annual household income data came from the U.S. Census Bureau, while the average FICO credit score information was taken from an Experian report that was published this year. Each state was ranked in each category, then the credit score ranking was subtracted from the income ranking.

CreditCards.com predicted that the states with higher incomes would have also have higher credit scores, but the report’s findings told a different story.

» RELATED: Georgia economy shed 2,100 jobs in September in rare downturn

Georgia ranked No. 6 for the worst state for managing money. The Peach State’s median household income ranked 29th and its average credit score was 45th. According to the report, high delinquencies and a young population dragged Georgia down.