Personal finance is more important than ever nowadays, but there’s no all-inclusive guide for navigating money matters. Many Americans are uneducated by no fault of their own where financial help and financial assistance are concerned. When you can’t quite grasp what you’re up against, it’s hard to feel hopeful. If this map from Liberty Bank shows us anything, it’s that we are all in this confusing financial maze together.
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Comparing to the national search volume average in Google, Liberty Bank compiled all of the personal finance questions Americans asked and broke it down by state and popularity. Unsurprisingly, foreclosures and interest rates top this list, but what’s most shocking are the regional trends you can easily see.
Here’s what each state is specifically interested in:
Alabama: Interest rates
Alaska: Foreclosure
Arizona: Foreclosure
Arkansas: Foreclosure
California: Cash advance
Colorado: Credit union
Connecticut: 401K
Delaware: Debit card
Florida: Interest rates
Georgia: Payday loan
Hawaii: Line of credit
Idaho: Foreclosure
Illinois: Savings account
Indiana: Interest rates
Iowa: Foreclosure
Kansas: Line of credit
Kentucky: Interest rates
Louisiana: Budget planner
Maine: Mortgage calculator
Maryland: Student loans
Massachusetts: 401K
Michigan: Interest rates
Minnesota: Compound interest calculator
Mississippi: Interest rates
Missouri: Foreclosure
Montana: Foreclosure
Nebraska: Interest rates
Nevada: Foreclosure
New Hampshire: Car loan calculator
New Jersey: Debt consolidation
New Mexico: Student loans
New York: Savings account
North Carolina: Credit union
North Dakota: Foreclosure
Ohio: Interest rates
Oklahoma: Foreclosure
Oregon: Foreclosure
Pennsylvania: Mortgage calculator
Rhode Island: Interest rates
South Carolina: Budget planner
South Dakota: Foreclosure
Tennessee: Interest rates
Texas: Budget planner
Utah: Foreclosure
Vermont: Debit card
Virginia: Line of credit
Washington: Foreclosure
West Virginia: Foreclosure
Wisconsin: Credit union
Wyoming: Foreclosure
Student loans averaged about 2.4 million searches around the country, though Maryland and New Mexico were the only states where student debt topped the charts. Mortgage calculators reigned supreme in Maine and Pennsylvania but on a national level, Liberty Bank reports that it draws about 2.3 million searches.
15 states are most concerned with foreclosure and this trend is spreading across the west. Interest rates have captured the attention of the midwestern region of the country, from Florida to Michigan.
What’s interesting are the lack of questions surrounding childcare, healthcare, or federal government programs for low-income families. One would expect federal programs, like assistance programs and social security, to appear on this list at least once or twice. Liberty Bank compiled the most popular questions into this handy graphic, along with their helpful answers.
Bookmark this for the next time a financial question pops up!