By the end of 2018, Americans owed more than $4 trillion — a figure big enough to send a shiver down almost anyone's spine. So with that kind of debt hanging over our heads, it's no surprise that many plan in this new year to pay down their balances. And then there's the need to save for that ever-receding goal of retirement, which can be tough when payments are due on the house, the car, the sheepskin hanging on the wall, the cast on one's leg or the latest refill of the diabetes prescription. LendingTree looked at several different factors for the 50 most populous U.S. metropolitan areas: average credit utilization, as a percentage; average monthly rent-to-income ratio, as a percentage; regional prices on goods and services; the local unemployment rate; and the state's scoring on debt-friendly laws and policies. What it found is that it is indeed easier in some locales than others to emerge from the depths of debt. Data used to rank the 50 cities came from a sampling of LendingTree's own users' credit reports; the American Community Survey 2017 five-year estimates from the US Census; the Bureau of Labor Statistics; and the National Consumer Law Center. The slides above show the 10 best cities in which to pay down debt. READ MORE: IRS opens door for 401(k) sponsors to address student loan debt Student loan debt harms retirement, says AARP 10 states with the highest average student loan debt