Median debt load increases by $20K

The median household debt in the United States increased 37 percent from 2000 to 2011, according to a new U.S. Census report.

The number of households that have some form of debt decreased 5 percent, but for those that do have debt, the median increased from $50,971 to $70,000.

People ages 35 to 44 experienced the largest increases in debt, followed by people ages 45 to 54 and 55 to 64.

Much of the increase came from holding unsecured debt, such as education loans and medical bills not covered by insurance. The percent of unsecured debt increased from 11 percent in 2000 to 19 percent in 2011. Meanwhile, the amount of credit card debit decreased from 51 percent to 38 percent during the same time period.