Hawai'i residents had a tougher time keeping up with debt payments in the fourth quarter but still remain among the best in the nation in terms of being credit risks, a new report says.

That news is included in the Trans-Union Credit Risk Index, which was publicly released yesterday. Hawai'i had a score of 94.85, well below the national average of 124.79, and was fifth-lowest among all states.

TransUnion, one of the biggest U.S. consumer credit reporting agencies, has been producing the index since 1998 as a way to measure changes in consumer credit risk in various states and regions.

The index looks at a number of factors, including credit usage and performance, along with factors that can affect payments, including unemployment and cost of living.

Hawai'i is "still doing pretty well relative to the rest of the nation," said TransUnion spokesman Dave Blumberg.

The state, however, did register an 8.5 percent increase in the index from the third to the fourth quarter, reaching its highest level since the first quarter of 2004, when it stood at 94.91 percent.

Nationally, the index rose by 6 percent to its highest level since its inception.

"The current level of the TransUnion Credit Risk Index represents the turbulence and the economic hardships faced by consumers in today's volatile economy," Chet Wiermanski, TransUnion group vice president, said in a press statement.

"The nearly 6 percent quarterly increase within the Index by the conclusion of 2008 is noteworthy not only in hitting a record high, but also for the magnitude of the increase, reflecting in part the impact of the current recession on the credit health of consumers."

Hawai'i was one of 11 states below the 100 level.

The highest score was in Mississippi at 164.72 and the lowest was in North Dakota at 79.67.