It’s a trope, but true: Everything is bigger in Texas, including the car loans.

Texans borrow a nation-leading $6,520 per capita for automobile purchases, according to a report released Wednesday by the United States Public Interest Research Group, which partnered with its state affiliates and Frontier Group. The average is $1,000 more than the next highest state, neighboring Louisiana, and $3,000 more than per-person car debt in New York. Georgia, Arkansas and Wyoming rounded out the top five.

Debt for automobiles is at an all-time high, researchers said, sounding an alarm that more debt could lead some to economic hardship.

“Texans deserve both protection from predatory and unfair practices in auto lending, and a transportation system that provides more people the freedom to live without owning a car,” said Bay Scoggin, TexPIRG director, in a statement. “Texans shouldn't have to fight their way through a thicket of tricks and traps at the auto dealer just to get the transportation they need to get to work or school."

Borrowers in Texas rank second among the states in filing complaints with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, researchers said. Slightly fewer than 1,000 claims have been filed in Texas.

The report also takes aim at development and infrastructure spending that commits many residents to cars. Though Houston enjoys a relatively low cost of living compared to other metro areas, researchers estimated households in the region spend $13,577, or 21 percent all of living costs, on transportation. That’s higher than even other Sun Belt cities such as Phoenix and Atlanta.

“Residents of cities with more transportation choices -- from New York to Seattle -- spend less on transportation,” said R.J. Cross of Frontier Group, the report’s co-author, in a statement. “They have more options to avoid risky auto debt and all the other expenses that accompany driving.”

Nationally, a record $1.2 trillion in debt is related to auto loans. The worry, researchers said, is similar to the housing crisis a decade ago, much of that debt is owed by workers unable to make payments, leading to a spiraling increase as fees and late payments escalate.

Tuesday, the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank of New York issued a report noting a record 7 million Americans are 90 days or more behind on auto loan payments. Since 2010, the amount of debt carried related to car loans is up 39 percent.