Following a brief pause during the COVID-19 pandemic when consumers reined in credit card spending, Americans are once again piling up the debt. Many are also looking for ways to manage that debt -- especially in states like Nevada, Virginia and Delaware.

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Total household debt in the U.S. hit $17.94 trillion during the 2024 third quarter, according to a study from ConvertBankStatement, an online platform that lets users convert bank statements into various formats. That figure is up from $11.7 trillion a decade earlier.

In its study, ConvertBankStatement analyzed internet search data to uncover where Americans are most and least concerned about debt support, with a particular focus on search data used on Arefs and Google ads. Researchers looked at more than a dozen debt-related search terms, including "debt consolidation," "debt help," "debt management," "debt relief" and "how to get rid of credit card debt."

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Here are the 10 states where residents search for debt support the most, based on monthly searches per 100,000 people:

The most common search term in the top three states was "debt consolidation loan." With debt consolidation, you combine multiple debts into a single debt, according to the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC). The aim is to simplify the payment process and get better rates and more affordable payments.

Debt consolidation loans are similar to refinancing in that you take on a new loan to pay off balances in a single place. Consolidation loans typically involve banks and other traditional lenders, though you can also consolidate credit card debts into a single credit card. As the NFCC noted, the main downsides of debt consolidation are that you might face a balance transfer or loan origination fee, and you might not get a big enough loan to cover all of your debts.

A popular search term for Tennessee residents was "National Debt Relief" -- a direct reference to the company of the same name that provides credit counseling and debt consolidation services.

These types of debt relief programs can be good options for people with unmanageable debt, according to ConvertBankStatement. But they also come with a couple of risks. One is that participating in debt relief can ding your credit score. The other is that creditors aren't obligated to accept a reduced amount of money.