Having trouble paying your car loan? You’re not alone. A recent analysis by the credit company TransUnion has found that delinquencies (those more than 60 days past due) on automobile loans rose in the fourth quarter of 2008 to .86 percent, which is an increase of almost 9 percent from the previous year.

Delinquencies were highest in Mississippi at 1.62 percent, followed by California at 1.46 percent. The lowest ones were in Alaska at 0.19 percent, North Dakota at 0.34 percent, and Montana at 0.41 percent.

However, there is some good news, as the rise isn’t an epidemic every where: A drop in delinquencies was seen last year in 14 states. In addition, nationally the average auto debt decreased slightly from $12,861 to $12,713, which could reflect that new car sales are down and people are holding onto their cars longer.

The data from the analysis is derived from TransUnion’s database of 27 million anonymous consumer records.

For more information on auto loans, financing, and more, see our new car buying guide.

--Liza Barth