35 Percent of Americans Have Debts Reported to Collectors

More than 35 percent of Americans have debts and unpaid bills that have been reported to collection agencies, according to a study released Tuesday by the Urban Institute.

These consumers fall behind on credit cards, hospital bills, mortgages, auto loans, or student debt. Even past-due gym membership fees or cellphone contracts can end up with a collection agency, hurting credit scores, said Caroline Ratcliffe, a senior fellow at the Washington-based think tank.

‘‘Roughly every third person you pass on the street is going to have debt in collections,’’ Ratcliffe said. ‘‘It can tip employers’ hiring decisions, or whether or not you get that apartment.’’

The study found 35.1 percent of people with credit records had been reported to collections for debt that averaged $5,178, based on September 2013 records. The study points to a disturbing trend: The share of Americans in collections has remained relatively constant, even as the country has whittled down the size of its credit card debt since the official end of the Great Recession in mid-2009.

As a share of income, credit card debt is at its lowest level in more than a decade, according to the American Bankers Association. Just 2.44 percent of card accounts are overdue 30 days or more, versus the 15-year average of 3.82 percent.

Yet roughly the same percentage of people are still getting reported for unpaid bills, according to the study, done in conjunction with the Consumer Credit Research Institute. Their figures nearly match the 36.5 percent of people in collections reported by a 2004 Federal Reserve analysis.

Health care-related bills account for 37.9 percent of the debts collected, according to a report commissioned by the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals. Student loan debt represents another 25.2 percent, and credit cards make up 10.1 percent, with the rest of the collections going for local governments, retailers, telecoms, and utilities.