Paying off collections improves your finances, but what happens to the negative mark on your credit report?

Disputing collections debt can protect your credit, but only if you know when it actually makes sense to do so.

WalletHub collected data from the end of 2025 and ranked the states with the most and least debt collection accounts.

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A recent study examined which states have the highest number of collection accounts and found Florida ranks seventh, suggesting residents of the Sunshine State may be struggling to pay their bills.