In finances, as in medicine, there’s something to be said for remembering that you can have too much of a good thing. Unfortunately, when it comes to debt Americans often forget that fact — especially if we’re talking about credit cards.

Americans, on average, carry $3,600 in credit card debt. But that amount is artificially depressed by the simple fact that most households (more than 60 percent) carry no credit card debt whatsoever.

In October USA Today reported that households with credit card debt carry a shocking average balance of $16,048 — up 10 percent over the past three years, the paper reported.

In this region things might be even worse. Earlier this month the company WalletHub used information from the U.S. Census and Federal Reserve to survey more than 2,500 cities and rank them based on average credit card debt.

In Butler the average resident holds $4,820 in credit card debt, and takes more than 4 1/2 years to pay it off, according to WalletHub. The study found similar situations in cities like Pittsburgh. But it was West Chester, in southeastern Pennsylvania, that ranked as the survey’s worst — an average of $6,926 that takes cardholders 192 months to pay off.

Why are Pennsylvanians swimming in so much high-interest debt? Paul Woodburn, a professor of economics at Clarion University, said regions like Western Pennsylvania have higher average credit card debt because of economic pain and an aging population. People turn to plastic in an effort to sustain their standard of living.

“It’s not a greed thing,” said Wooburn. “It’s that there’s no other option.”

Older Americans in places like Butler may be increasingly reliant on credit cards. But at the same time younger Americans seem to be walking away from them in increasing numbers.

Last year the Federal Reserve reported that the percentage of Americans under 35 who hold credit card debt fell to its lowest level since 1989. Only 37 percent held credit card debt in 2013, the most recent year for which data was available.

That’s a good thing, right? Financial experts like Woodburn say it’s not so simple. Without a substantial credit history it can be harder for people to finance big purchases like a mortgage on a home. A little debt can help let lenders know you’re responsible.

At the same time, too much debt can severely limit personal and professional mobility. That brings us to Generation X (those born between 1965 and 1980) and the oldest Millennials, who according to the Fed are the most debt-laden people in U.S. history.

It’s not all credit card debt, though. The average American under 35 carries $17,200 in student debt — 182 percent more than the same age group had in 1995, according to the Fed.

Woodburn notes that this dynamic and the resulting problems haven’t gone unnoticed. For the past 30 years there’s been a concerted effort to get personal finance education into high schools and colleges across the country.

It’s up for debate whether those efforts have actually resulted in a culture change. But it’s clear that a love-hate relationship — with some Americans unwilling to participate at all, and others too reliant on high-interest borrowing — isn’t good for anyone.